Consumer sentiment this month has recovered slightly from last month, buoyed by optimism about the equity market and lower inflation, a survey released yesterday showed.
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) edged up to 49.79 points this month from 49.11 last month, the National Central University’s Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development said in a statement.
A CCI figure of less than 100 points indicates that the public is pessimistic about the outlook for the next six months, while a score of between 100 and 200 points demonstrates optimism.
The survey, however, underlined pessimism on household finances, the economic outlook, durable goods purchases and jobs.
Last week, government statistics showed that unemployment rose to a new high of 5.81 percent last month with 630,000 people out of work, while last month’s export orders fell 24.29 percent to US$23.94 billion from a year earlier.
The CCI poll of 2,312 people between April 19 and April 22, gauged public expectation on stock performance, household finances, durable goods, job opportunities, consumer prices and the economic outlook.
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