Chile: Consumers stay pessimistic in February
The Adimark GfK consumer confidence index edged down to 46.3 points in February, from 47.0 points in January. This marked the seven consecutive month that the index has languished below the critical 50-point threshold that separates pessimism from optimism among Chilean consumers.
February’s detailed estimate shows that three out of the five components of the index deteriorated from the previous month. Notably, consumers’ assessment of the country’s current economic situation again fell into pessimistic territory, after having rebounded in January. Meanwhile, expectations about the country over the next 12 months and willingness to buy big-ticket household items both edged down, although remained above the 50-point threshold. In contrast, consumers’ expectations of the country’s stability over the next five years and their opinion of their current financial situations both ticked up, although stayed in pessimistic territory nonetheless.