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Household confidence down as financial pressures bite
Spring is in the air. The weather is improving. And… well… it turns out most of us are still feeling pretty gloomy. The Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index fell 2.9 points in September, dropping to a level of 80.2. That’s well below average, and signals that the number of New Zealand households who are pessimistic about the economic landscape continues to outweigh those who are optimistic by a wide margin. Looking at what drove September’s drop in consumer confidence, financial pressures remain front of mind for New Zealand households. Just 10% of the households we spoke to in September said ... (full story)