31 January 2017
2017- n° 29Household consumption expenditure on goods retreated in December (−0.8%) but it bounced
back over the fourth quarter (+0.9%) Household consumption expenditure on goods - December 2016
In December 2016, household consumption expenditure on goods decreased in volume* (−0.8%), after two months of growth, mainly as a result of lower expenses on energy and food. Over the whole fourth quarter, it bounced back (+0.9% after −0.4%), mainly because of energy expenses and car purchases.
- Energy : downturn in December, sharp rebound over the quarter
- Food products : decreasing again in December, decline over the quarter
- Engineered goods : slight downturn in December, rebound over the quarter
- Durables : downturn over the month, rebound over the quarter
- Textile-clothing: virtually stable in December
- Other engineered goods: slowdown at the end of the year
- The variation in November 2016 is revised upwards
In December 2016, household consumption expenditure on goods decreased in volume* (−0.8%), after two months of growth, mainly as a result of lower expenses on energy and food. Over the whole fourth quarter, it bounced back (+0.9% after −0.4%), mainly because of energy expenses and car purchases.
*Volumes are measured at chain-link previous year prices (2010 euro billions) and all figures are trading-day and seasonally adjusted.
graphiqueGraph1 – Total consumption of goods
- Source: INSEE
Energy : downturn in December, sharp rebound over the quarter
In December, consumption of energy decreased strongly (−2.7%). Heating expenditure on gas and electricity were lower than in October and November, which were mild compared to the seasonal norms. Refined product purchases also fell back. Over the whole quarter, consumption of energy bounced back clearly (+3.7% after −1.5%), driven by expenses on gas and electricity.
graphiqueGraph2 – Breakdown of energy
- Source: INSEE
Food products : decreasing again in December, decline over the quarter
In December, consumption of food products decreased for the third consecutive month (−0.6%). This fall affected the unprocessed products as well as the manufactured ones. Over the fourth quarter, the decline reached −0.4% after a rise of 0.8% over the third quarter.
graphiqueGraph3 – Food products, engineered goods and energy
- Source: INSEE
Engineered goods : slight downturn in December, rebound over the quarter
In December, consumption of engineered goods diminished slightly (−0.2%), after two consecutive months of growth. Over the whole quarter, those expenses bounced back (+1.0% after −1.1%).
Durables : downturn over the month, rebound over the quarter
In December, expenditure on durables faltered (−0.5% after +1.5% in November), driven down by spending on household durables. However, car purchases kept growing. Over the fourth quarter, purchases of consumer durables were on the rise anew (+1.6% after −2.3%).
Textile-clothing: virtually stable in December
In December, expenditure on textile-clothing was virtually stable (−0.1% after −0.9%). Over the whole quarter, it recovered moderately (+0.4% after −0.6% over the third quarter).
Other engineered goods: slowdown at the end of the year
In December, households' purchases of other engineered goods slowed (+0.2% after +0.5%). Over the quarter, they increased as much as during the third quarter (+0.6%).
graphiqueGraph4 – Breakdown of engineered goods
- Source: INSEE
The variation in November 2016 is revised upwards
The variation in household expenditure on goods is revised upwards by 0.2 points in November 2016 and now stands at +0.6% instead of +0.4%. Since the previous publication, new information has been integrated, particularly concerning energy and household durables. Moreover, the seasonal adjustment coefficients have been updated.
tableauTable – Household consumption expenditure on goods
| Weight (1) | Oct. 2016 | Nov. 2016 | Dec. 2016 | Dec. 16 / Dec. 15 | Q4 2016/Q3 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food products | 38 | –0.1 | –0.2 | –0.6 | –1.1 | –0.4 |
| Engineered goods | 44 | 0.4 | 0.7 | –0.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| - Inc. Durables | 21 | 0.0 | 1.5 | –0.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| - Automobiles | 11 | –1.3 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 5.1 | 2.6 |
| - Household durables | 7 | 1.7 | –0.5 | –3.5 | –3.6 | –0.1 |
| - Inc. Textile-clothing | 9 | 1.8 | –0.9 | –0.1 | –0.4 | 0.4 |
| - Inc. Other engineered goods | 13 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Energy | 18 | 3.9 | 1.9 | –2.7 | 7.9 | 3.7 |
| - Inc. Energy, water, waste | 10 | 5.1 | 1.9 | –3.0 | 17.1 | 5.1 |
| - Inc. Refined Products | 8 | 2.3 | 1.9 | –2.4 | –1.4 | 1.8 |
| Total | 100 | 0.8 | 0.6 | –0.8 | 1.5 | 0.9 |
| - Inc. Manufactured goods | 85 | 0.4 | 0.5 | –0.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
- (1) Weighting in the consumption expenditure on goods in value in 2015
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