Consumer confidence, economic climate indicators stable in December
After decreasing in October and November, the consumer confidence indicator stabilised last month.
The consumer confidence indicator stabilised in December, after decreasing in the previous two months, as has the economic climate indicator, which has been erratic since July, INE said on Tuesday.
According to the results of the business and consumer surveys published by Statistics Portugal (INE), in December, confidence indicators increased in the manufacturing industry and in construction and public works.
On the other hand, they decreased slightly in trade and services.
“The balance of consumer opinions regarding past price developments increased over the past three months, tenuously in December, reaching the highest figure since April 2012”.
The expectations of construction and public works entrepreneurs regarding the future evolution of sale prices once again recorded the maximum level of the series, reinforcing the sharp growth observed since May.
With regard to the manufacturing industry, the outlook for sale prices, in the month under review, stood at the highest level since October 1990.
However, the balance of expectations regarding future developments of selling prices in trade decreased, after having reached, in November, the maximum level of the series that began in 2003.
Also, the balance of expectations regarding the evolution of prices in services decreased in the last month of 2021, after the increases observed in the four previous months, which reached a level close to the series’ maximum recorded in November 2005.
