Confidence levels up but consumer gloom over personal finances persists

Confidence levels among Irish consumers increased marginally last month, but while concerns over the country’s economic stability and the jobs market eased, the improvement in the economy hasn’t boosted household incomes and worries over personal finances persist.

The latest edition of the monthly consumer sentiment index — co-authored by KBC Bank Ireland and the ESRI — showed a reading of 60 points for March, up from 59.4 in February.

While leading to a healthy reading, last month’s increase is being seen as “too slight” to be viewed as signalling anything other than “a broadly unchanged degree of confidence among Irish consumers”.