Ireland: Consumer confidence improves but remains pessimistic in September
The KBC Bank Ireland/ESRI consumer confidence index rose to 60.7 in September from August’s 58.9. Nevertheless, the index remained well below the 100-threshold separating pessimism from optimism among consumers.
September’s improvement was largely driven by consumers’ less pessimistic perception of the general economic outlook as well as their expected personal financial situation in the 12 months ahead. Moreover, households’ willingness to purchase large ticket items turned less negative compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, consumers’ outlook for unemployment was more pessimistic than in August, while their appraisal of their personal financial situation in the past year also deteriorated.