New Zealand: Consumer confidence improves again in January
The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence indicator rose to 93.6 in January from 93.1 in December. However, the index remained entrenched below the 100-threshold that separates optimism from pessimism among consumers.
In January, households’ assessments of their current financial situations improved. Additionally, households were more willing to buy big-ticket items. Conversely, households’ expectations over their future financial situations weakened.
Commenting on the release, Sharon Zollner, chief economist at ANZ, stated:
“The wide gap between the current and forward-looking questions in the survey is starting to close. It’s early days, but such a pattern is typical as an economy recovers after a recession.”