Consumer confidence further down

Consumer confidence declined further in May. The indicator fell from -12 in April to -17 in May. The mood among Dutch consumers has been pessimistic since September 2007. Just like in the past months, the decrease is almost entirely attributable to reduced confidence in the state of the economy. Consumers’ opinions about their own financial situation hardly changed.

Consumers’ opinions about the economic climate took another blow in May. In May, Dutch consumers were more pessimistic about the past twelve months and the twelve months to come than they were in April. The past twelve months in particular were evaluated more negatively than in April. Consumers’ opinions on the economy in the near future have not been this negative in nearly half a decade.

Consumers’ opinions about their own financial situation in the past twelve months improved slightly. Their opinions about the economic prospects for the near future, on the other hand, were somewhat more negative. They were also rather more negative about the question whether it is the right time to buy expensive items. On balance, willingness to buy slightly deteriorated for the fourth month in a row. 

Consumer confidence, seasonally adjusted