France: Consumer confidence falls, remains below long-term average
Consumer confidence came in at 81.0 in March, down from February’s 82.0. As such, the index remained entrenched below the 100-threshold, signaling that consumers remained pessimistic.
The slightly lower print was driven by households’ appraisals of France’s overall economic situation: Sentiment worsened regarding the living standards in France over the next twelve months and in the past twelve months. That said, concerns about the evolution of unemployment declined.
Meanwhile, households’ sentiments on their personal situation remained stable. Improvements in current and expected saving capacity were broadly offset by a drop in saving intentions.