Mood among consumers less negative

Consumers are less pessimistic. The consumer confidence index rose from -14 in  November to -11 in December. The mood has steadily improved in the course of 2009, mainly because consumers are less negative about the economic climate in general.

Consumer confidence

The indicator reflecting consumers’ opinions on the economic climate improved by 7 points to reach -19 in December. In retrospect, consumers are less negative about the economic situation in the past twelve months than they were in November. They were more positive about the economic situation in the next twelve months. This is the only one of the five component indicators which together define consumer confidence where optimists outnumber pessimists.

The indicator willingness to buy hardly changed. This indicator has been hovering around -6 for several months. Consumers’ opinions on their own financial situation in the past twelve months deteriorated slightly, while opinions on their own financial situation in the twelve months to come remained unchanged. Consumers’ opinions on whether it is a good time to purchase expensive items improved marginally.

Consumer confidence, seasonally adjusted