ARMENIA’S CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX FELL BY 3 PERCENTAGE POINT IN QUARTER 4 OF 2014
YEREVAN, February 17. / ARKA /. In the 4th quarter of 2014 Armenia’s
consumer confidence index was down 3 percentage point from the previous
one standing at 41.2 after a period of protracted growth since the
beginning of the year, the Central Bank said. Compared to the 4th
quarter of 2013 it was down by 0.8 percentage points, it said.
The indicator used to assess current conditions in the 4th quarter
fell by 4.3 percentage points from the previous quarter to 30.5,
largely due to a 7.5 percentage points decrease in the index used
to assess households’ current financial status and by a 5 percentage
point drop in the indicator that assesses households in the context
of common economic conditions of the country. The index used to assess
large purchases did not change noticeably standing at 50.
According to the Central Bank, the index used to assess future
conditions fell by 1.9 percentage points from the previous quarter,
but when compared to the same quarter of 2013 it was higher by 1.8
percentage points, standing at 51.8.
The only indicator that rose was the one used to assess employment
expectations. It grew by 0.8 percentage points to 55.5. After showing
a growth in the previous quarter, the indicator that evaluates the
financial condition fell by 3.6 percentage points to 44.3. The index
assessing expectations in large household purchases decreased by 2.9
percentage points to 55.6.
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) is an indicator designed to measure
consumer confidence, which is defined as the degree of optimism on
the state of the economy that consumers are expressing through their
activities of savings and spending.
Since early 2005 the Central Bank of Armenia has been conducting
quarterly surveys of non-financial, financial institutions and
households to assess changes in current economic conditions compared
to the previous period, to assess the economic expectations of the
subjects under study and based on survey data to calculate and publish
composite economic indexes.
The surveys are conducted over the Internet, telephone, letter and
fax. Based on the survey results indices of business environment,
economic activity and consumer confidence are calculated on a 100-point
scale. The score above 50 shows high activity and below 50 a low
activity, and 50 a steady-state condition. -0- –