European consumer confidence sees ‘very positive growth’

The consumer climate for the 28 EU countries rose by 5.6 points to 17.9 points in December – its highest value since January 2008. 

However, the economic expectations of British consumers fell by 9.8 points between September and December, having stabilised at the end of the third quarter following a drop to its lowest level in four years ( 28.2 points) in July.

And while income expectations rose by 13.2 points in the fourth quarter of 2016, reaching 3.2 points at the end of the year, this is still a 3.4 point drop from the figure recorded at the end of 2015.

Despite this, British consumers’ propensity to buy increased by 8.8 points to 15.5 points during Q4 2016. This represents an overall positive trend, as in December the indicator stood at around five points higher than the same time in 2015.