Consumer mood shows slight lift

THERE are indications that spending may not be as weak as feared with figures showing a slight improvement in consumer mood last month.

However, in sharp contrast, retailers remain pessimistic about the future with more than half rating the prospects for their business over the three months as poor or very poor.

The latest KBC Ireland/ESRI consumer sentiment index recorded its strongest reading last month since September 2010 to 50.3 compared to 48.7 in January and 59.4 in February, 2010.