Good weather boosts consumer confidence

The warmer weather has brought about an improvement in consumer confidence, as it has largely mitigated the effects of high energy costs. This stems, among other things, from the economic sentiment survey for March conducted by the Institute for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE).

An improvement in expectations was also recorded in business, with the rise coming mainly from industry and services.

In particular, according to what IOBE announced on Tuesday, the consumer confidence index strengthened slightly in March and reached -44.7 points, compared to -47.2 points in February, returning to the levels of October 2023.

That improvement is related to the mild strengthening of positive expectations for the economic situation of the country and of households, while the improvement in intentions to make major purchases and also to save is much more noticeable....