Dutch consumer remains pessimistic

Consumer confidence was invariably low in February. The indicator stood at -30. Willingness to buy did not change, but consumers were a bit more negative about the economic climate than last month. Nine out of ten consumers currently expect unemployment to rise in the twelve months to come.

Indicators consumer confidence

Just as in January, consumers have little confidence in the economic situation in February. Opinions on the economic climate in the past twelve months deteriorated and dropped to -75, the lowest score since the summer of 2003. On the other hand, consumers were slightly less negative about the economy in the twelve months to come than they were last month.

Consumers’ opinions on their own financial situation in the past twelve months hardly changed. However, they are more negative about their immediate financial future than in January. Consumers were somewhat less pessimistic about buying expensive items, such as furniture or washing machines than they were a month ago. Altogether, willingness to buy remained unchanged.

Consumer confidence, seasonally adjusted