Ireland: Consumer confidence improves, but remains in negative territory in June
The KBC Bank Ireland/ESRI consumer confidence index rose to 61.6 in June from May’s 52.3. As such, the index moved closer to, but remained well below the 100-threshold separating pessimism from optimism among consumers.
June’s broad-based improvement came against a backdrop of easing coronavirus-related restrictions both domestically and abroad. In June, households’ willingness to purchase large ticket items improved markedly, as well as their appraisal of the general economic outlook. Moreover, consumers’ outlook for unemployment turned less pessimistic compared to the previous month.