Optimism over household finances at decade high

Optimism over household finances at decade high
Rebecca Howard
Consumer confidence completely reversed this year’s decline in the December quarter as people's optimism about their own finances hit the highest level since 2009.The latest Westpac McDermott Miller survey showed a net 15.5 percent of respondents said they expected to be better off in a year’s time versus a net 13.2 percent in September.Overall, the consumer confidence index rose 6.8 points in December to 109.9. A reading above 100 indicates optimists outnumber pessimists. The long-run average is 111.1.“Underlying the turnaround in household se...

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