Consumer full of confidence

In January, the consumer confidence index reached the highest level of the past six years.

Dutch consumers are very optimistic about the future of the Dutch economy. They expect significant improvements in the next twelve months. Their opinions on the economic situation in the past twelve months remained unchanged.

Willingness to buy also improved in January. For the first time since April 2002, optimists outnumber pessimists. Increased willingness to buy is primarily due to an increase in the number of consumers who think it is a favourable time to buy expensive items, like washing machines or furniture. Opinions on their own financial situation last year and in the year to come have also improved considerably.

Consumer confidence reached a high level. In January, the index stood at 13, which means that optimists outnumber pessimists by 13 percent. On average, pessimists marginally outnumbered optimists over the past two decades. This long-term average stands at -3.

Consumer confidence, seasonally adjusted