More than half of consumers globally expect job prospects to be good to excellent in the year ahead, a survey showed on Tuesday. That helped push global consumer confidence up in the second quarter to its highest since the first quarter of 2007, according to the survey by global information and insights company Nielsen. India overtook Indonesia as the most optimistic consumer market, while Portugal and Slovenia were the most pessimistic. The Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index rose 1 point in the second quarter to 97, according to the survey, conducted between May 12 and 30. The reading headed closer to the 100 mark that signals optimism among consumers. U.S. consumers were the eighth most upbeat globally as optimism about job prospects surged. "Payroll growth is visible across a range of (U.S.) sectors, which is also positive," said Venkatesh Bala, chief economist at the Cambridge Group, a part of Nielsen. Globally, 56 percent of respondents viewed their personal finances positively. North America reported the biggest increase, with 63 percent of respondents feeling secure in money matters over the next 12 months, up from 59 percent in the first quarter.
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- Reuters