Dutch consumers cautious as confidence holds at -21 in December

Consumer sentiment in the Netherlands remained unchanged in December, with the consumer confidence index holding at -21, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The reading remains well below the long-term average of -11 over the past twenty years. Although opinions on the economic climate weakened slightly, consumers showed a modest improvement in willingness to buy.

The economic climate component edged down to -35 in December from -34 in November. Consumers were marginally less pessimistic about economic developments over the previous twelve months but became more negative about the outlook for the next year.

Willingness to buy improved slightly, rising to -11 from -12 in November. Consumers were less positive about their personal financial situation for the coming twelve months, but somewhat less negative about their finances over the past year. They were also slightly more inclined to consider large purchases compared with November, CBS said in a release.

Concerns over unemployment intensified and remain a key drag on confidence. In December, around 46 per cent of respondents expected unemployment to increase over the next twelve months, while only 10 per cent anticipated a decline. This pushed the unemployment expectations balance down to -37, the weakest level since May 2021, highlighting growing labour market anxiety.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (HU)