Irish consumers remain “wary” about the future despite feeling better about Brexit, which may explain the views of voters in the final week of the election campaign, according to a major survey. However, the latest reading of consumer sentiment was still lower than in January 2019 and there was little evidence of the buoyant feelgood factor for household finances that the economic growth figures might indicate. The survey suggests that consumers “who reported they were making ends meet” were significantly uncertain about the future. “The improvement in Irish consumer sentiment in January was more modest than that seen in the UK but contrasted with largely unchanged readings in comparable confidence metrics for the US and euro area,” the survey found. Andrew Webb, chief economist at Grant Thornton Ireland, said the rise was “worrisome” and may suggest that declines in unemployment were over.
Source: Irish Examiner February 05, 2020 05:48 UTC