Australia: Consumer sentiment weakens in August
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index decreased to 81.2 in August from 83.8 in July, marking the lowest reading since August 2020. Therefore, sentiment moved further below the 100-mark, indicating that there were more pessimists than optimists among Australian consumers.
August’s drop came on the back of deteriorated households’ willingness to buy major household items. Moreover, expectations over the economy in the next 12 months and five years worsened.
FocusEconomics panelists are still assessing the latest developments.