Elections cause 'feelbad factor'

CONSUMER sentiment dipped for the first time in almost a year as the European and local election encouraged a "feelbad factor", the latest IIB Bank/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index indicates.

And figures released yesterday by the Central Statistics Office show industrial production activity in Ireland has slowed substantially since the turn of the year.

The overall Consumer Sentiment Index stood at 90.1 in June, compared to a figure of 91.1 in May. The corresponding figure for June 2003 was 65.8.