UK shopper confidence hovered round a 50-year low final month as Britons struggled towards a backdrop of hovering inflation, political turmoil and excessive borrowing prices, based on new knowledge.
The buyer confidence index, a carefully watched measure of how individuals view their private funds and wider financial prospects, edged up solely two factors to minus 47 in October, from the minus 49 the earlier month.
The October studying was solely marginally higher than September, which was the bottom since information started in 1974.
Joe Staton, consumer technique director at GfK, mentioned not solely had been households frightened concerning the prospect of rising meals, power and presumably mortgage prices, but in addition the “probability of tax rises and even austerity measures”.
He added that for customers: “This internet of uncertainty and turmoil quantities to a ‘new irregular’.”
The buyer confidence figures coated the interval between October 3 and October 13, when turmoil within the monetary markets pushed up mortgage quotes and coverage rate of interest expectations on the again of the “mini” Finances.
The evaluation was carried out earlier than Jeremy Hunt changed Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor, reversing most of his tax-cutting proposals whereas warning of “eye-watering” public spending cuts, and earlier than Liz Truss stood down as prime minister.
The sub-index for spending intentions for large gadgets, corresponding to properties or automobiles, fell 3 share factors to its lowest degree for the reason that early months of the coronavirus pandemic, GfK reported.
Staton mentioned the lack of shopper confidence was “particularly worrying” forward of the Christmas season, which many companies depend on to strengthen their stability sheets.
On Wednesday, official statistics confirmed that Britain’s meals inflation rose to just about 15 per cent in September, the best since information started in 1989.
In the meantime, UK wages are usually not maintaining with inflation and recorded one of many largest falls in actual phrases since information started in 2001.
On Friday, knowledge revealed by shopper affiliation Which? confirmed the spending confidence index was very low in October, however largely unchanged from the earlier month.
In line with the Which? knowledge, 8 per cent of households mentioned they’ve missed a housing, invoice, mortgage or bank card fee within the final month, a rise on current months.
Practically two in three households reported having made a minimum of one adjustment to cowl important spending, together with chopping again on meals, dipping into financial savings, promoting possessions or borrowing, based on the analysis.
Official knowledge confirmed that output in consumer-facing industries, corresponding to cinema, bars and eating places, fell sharply in August, to eight.9 per cent beneath their pre-pandemic degree.
Linda Ellett, head of shopper markets, retail and leisure, at KPMG, mentioned that mortgage charges and rents, and power value uncertainty after the winter are “important value issues that can play on the minds of many customers over the approaching months”.
