Consumer confidence continues to rise

Consumer confidence, seasonally corrected, was up in April in comparison to March. Consumers were considerably more positive about the economic climate. Although consumer confidence has been on the increase for eight months, there are still more pessimists than optimists.

Consumers are  considerably more positive about the economy this month. For the first time since January 2001 there are more optimists than pessimists on this component. Consumers are more positive in their opinions on both the coming and the past twelve months.

Willingness to buy remains fairly stable in April. For more than six months now willingness to buy has lagged behind opinions on the economic climate. It has improved in this period but by much less than opinions on the economic climate.

Consumer confidence, seasonally adjusted