Consumer sentiment holds steady ahead of Christmas, survey finds

Reuters

Consumer sentiment softened slightly in December as increased concerns about the economic outlook were offset by easing worries around household finances, a survey showed on Monday.

The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment index fell to 73.9 in December from 74.1 in November.

That is well below its long-term average of 84.3 but considerably higher than the reading of 62.4 a year ago when the country was still grappling with high inflation.

"The fractional fall in sentiment between November and December essentially signals no marked change in the mood of Irish consumers through the past three months," the report's authors said in a statement.