Dutch consumer confidence unchanged high

Dutch consumer confidence maintains its high level in March. Consumers are a bit less positive about the future economic situation than they were last month.

Although consumers have developed a slightly less positive attitude towards the future economic situation, optimists still outnumber pessimists. Consumers’ opinions on the economic situation in the past twelve months remained unchanged in March.

Consumers’ willingness to buy hardly changed in March and is still high relative to the preceding years. Consumers’ opinions on their own financial situation in the past and next twelve months increased only marginally. A small majority of consumers still think it is a favourable time to buy expensive items like washing machines or cars.  

The consumer confidence index reached a fairly high level. In March, the index stood at 10, which means that optimists outnumber pessimists by 10 percent. On average, pessimists marginally outnumbered optimists over the past two decades. The long-term average stands at -3. The last quarter the consumer confidence index had a score of 10 was in early 2001, when the last economic boom drew to a close.

Consumer confidence, seasonally adjusted