The consumer confidence index this month fell from a four-month high last month, despite five of six subindices increasing, a report released yesterday by National Central University said.
The index dropped 0.73 points month-on-month to 63.96, and is down 13.1 points on an annual basis, the report said.
The report was based on a survey of 3,245 people aged 20 or older from across Taiwan between Oct. 18 and Tuesday last week, the university said.
Photo: CNA
Six subindices are used to gauge the public’s sentiment concerning the next six months: consumer prices, household finances, economic climate, job opportunities, stock investments and purchases of durable goods.
This month, the subindex for job opportunities posted the largest increase, moving up 2.51 points from last month to 69.58, the report said.
Taiwan’s unemployment rate fell to 3.38 percent last month from 3.45 percent the previous month, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics reported yesterday.
The subindex for consumer prices recorded the second-largest gain, climbing 2.27 points to 32.22, followed by household finances, which rose 2.17 points to 74.71, and economic outlook, which also gained 2.17 points to 78.35, the university’s report said.
The subindex on purchases of durable goods such as houses and vehicles gained the least, increasing 1.67 points to 92.37, it said.
Expectations for stock investments over the next six months were the only subindex to decline, falling 15.16 points month-on-month to 36.52, even as the TAIEX continued to hit record highs on the strength of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), the most heavily weighted stock on the main board, amid the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
Among those surveyed, 17.1 percent said they plan to invest in stocks within the next six months, down from 24.9 percent last month, while 80.6 percent said they would stay on the sidelines, up from 73.2 percent, the report said.
The results suggest that many investors are reluctant to chase prices after the TAIEX’s 20.59 percent rally so far this year, with some likely to take profits as the index nears the 28,000-point threshold, it said.
The TAIEX yesterday rose 1.68 percent to close at 27,993.63.
Meanwhile, the index for the timing for home purchases increased 1.48 points month-on-month to 90.42, a survey the university conducted separately with Taiwan Realty Co (台灣房屋) showed.
Of the respondents, about 25.9 percent said it would be a good time to buy a home in the next six months, up from 25.7 percent last month, while 39.8 percent disagreed, down from 41.9 percent the previous month, the survey showed.
This indicated that people remained optimistic about property buying opportunities, the university said.
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