Belgian Consumers More Pessimistic In April

(RTTNews) - Belgian consumer confidence weakened and remained negative in April, the National Bank of Belgium said on Tuesday.

The consumer sentiment index dropped to -14.0 in April from -10.0 in the previous month.

The consumer confidence indicator has slipped 10 points in two months, and such a drop has not been seen since autumn 2022, the survey said.

The weaker confidence in April was mainly due to less optimistic expectations concerning the general economic situation, and more prudent expectations regarding their own financial situation are also weighing on the indicator.

Consumers' opinion on the general economic situation stayed more negative in April, and the respective index fell to -44 from -35.

The index measuring the financial situation of households weakened to -8 from -3. Meanwhile, the index for savings among households remained steady at 17.

Fears of a rise in unemployment over the coming twelve months increased slightly. The corresponding index posted 21 compared to 20 in March.