The nation’s consumer confidence weakened this month from last month amid growing concern that the powerful earthquake in Japan could hurt consumption and demand for electronics made in Taiwan, a National Central University survey showed yesterday.
The consumer confidence index (CCI) fell 2.23 points from the previous month to 83.66 this month, showing a decrease for the second consecutive month, the -university’s Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development said in a report.
The CCI benchmark gauges public expectations concerning stock performances, household finances, durable goods, job opportunities, consumer prices and the economic outlook for the next six months, data showed.
This month’s survey — which polled 2,392 people older than 20 nationwide from March 19 to March 21 — showed decreases on all six sub-indices.
“The overall decreases last month resulted from Japan’s massive quake and the following radioactive crisis, impacting negatively on global sentiment, as well as local consumers’ confidence on spending,” center director Hsu Chih-chiang (徐之強) said by telephone.
The stock performance sub--index fell by 7.2 points to 85.6 this month, the greatest decrease of all sub-indices, the data showed. The durable goods sub-index decreased 2.5 points to 101.35 this month.
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