Consumer feeling improves slightly after sharp fall

IRISH consumer sentiment improved modestly in October after three successive months of decline, according to a new survey from IIB Bank and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

Fears about the impact of high oil prices eased but overall, confidence remained tentative.

The IIB/ESRI consumer sentiment index rose to 85.0 in October, recovering less than half of September's sharp fall when the index hit a 21-month low of 80.5.