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Consumer Sentiment slips
The consumer mood has lapsed back into slight negative territory again with continued pressure on family finances and concerns about the near term outlook weighing on sentiment.The September survey included additional questions on the tax offset payments the Federal government began making with tax refunds from July 1. Just over 16% of consumers reported receiving a payment. We estimate that around 30% of households are likely to receive a meaningful rebate so this survey indicates that about half of eligible consumers have already received a payment. Amongst those that had received a payment, 29% planned to spend it ... (full story)