27 December 2012
2012- n° 319In December 2012, households’ confidence increased (+2 points) Monthly consumer confidence survey - December 2012
In December 2012, households’ confidence in the economic situation improved. The synthetic confidence index gained two points with respect to November, the first rise since May 2012. The index remained however below its long term average.
In December 2012, households’ confidence in the economic situation improved. The synthetic confidence index gained two points with respect to November, the first rise since May 2012. The index remained however below its long term average.
Personal situation
Financial situation: increased
In December, households appreciation of their past and future financial situation improved (+2 points). Their opinion on the timeliness to make major purchases was almost stable (+1 point). These three balances remained below their long term averages.
Savings: still increasing
Households’ opinion about their current savings capacity was almost stable in December (+1 point), as was their opinion about their savings capacity in the next 12 months (–1 point). These two balances remained above their long-term averages.
Households were slightly more numerous in December than in November to think that it was a suitable moment to save (+1 point). The corresponding balance gained 14 points since July, and remained widely above its long-term average.
graphiqueGraph1_english – Consumer synthetic index
tableauTab_eng – CONSUMER OPINION: synthetic index and opinion balances
| 2012 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average (1) | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | |
| Synthetic index (2) | 100 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 86 |
| Financial sit., past 12 m. | –19 | –28 | –29 | –31 | –29 |
| Financial sit., next 12 m. | –4 | –21 | –25 | –24 | –22 |
| Current saving capacity | 8 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
| Expected saving capacity | –10 | –4 | –3 | –1 | –2 |
| Savings intentions, next 12 m. | 18 | 31 | 34 | 37 | 38 |
| Major purchases intentions, next 12 m. | –14 | –28 | –29 | –28 | –27 |
| General economic sit., past 12 m. | –43 | –77 | –73 | –73 | –69 |
| General economic sit., next 12 m. | –23 | –56 | –59 | –55 | –53 |
| Unemployment, next 12 m. | 32 | 73 | 72 | 66 | 71 |
| Consumer prices, past 12 m. | –13 | 3 | 2 | –1 | –3 |
| Consumer prices, next 12 m. | –34 | –14 | –16 | –14 | –18 |
- (1) Average value between January 1987 and December 2012
- (2) This indicator is normalised in such a way that its average equals 100 and standard error equals 10 over the estimation period (1987-2012).
Economic situation in France
General economic situation : increasing
In December, households’ opinion about past general economic situation in France increased (+4 points), being back to its level of June. After having already increased in Novembre, their opinion about future general economic situation kept increasing in December(+2 points). These balances remained however clearly below their long term averages.
Future unemployment: expectations increasing anew
After a decline in November (–6 points), households were more numerous in December to forecast an increase in unemployment. The balance of opinion bounced (+5 points), remaining widely above its long-term average.
Inflation’s appreciation: expectations decreasing
Households were slightly more numerous to estimate a slowing inflation : the corresponding balance lost 2 points in December, down to July’s level. Households’ opinion on future inflation decreased too (-4 points). These two balances remained above their long term averages.
graphiqueGraph2_english – Balances on personnal financial situation and general economic situation
graphiquechomage_en – Households' unemployment expectations
graphiqueprix_en – Households' perception of prices
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