Consumer confidence ends the year down 2.6 points, says FGV

The Consumer Confidence Index (ICC) rose 0.6 in December and reached 75.5 points, on a scale that has its neutrality point at 100.

With this result, the indicator measured monthly by the Brazilian Institute of Economics of Fundação Getúlio Vargas (Ibre/FGV) ends the year with a drop of 2.6 points compared to 2020.

In terms of quarterly moving averages, the indicator changed by 0.1 point and stabilized at 15.6 points, after three consecutive months of decline. In this mode, the most recent month replaces the oldest of the three in the chronology.

According to Ibre, 2021 was a difficult year for consumers, especially for those with lower purchasing power, as highlighted by researcher Viviane Seda Bittencourt, coordinator of the surveys promoted by the institute.

“The detachment between the confidence of low-income and high-income consumers reached the highest level of the series in the last 17 years, mainly due to the financial difficulties of lower-income consumers in view of unemployment, high inflation and increased indebtedness” , evaluates the specialist.

The analysis by income group illustrates the disparity: among consumers with monthly income of up to R$ 2,100, confidence is 63.7 points.

At the other end, with income above R$ 9,600, it ended the year with 87.6 points. A demonstration of how the current moment hits the poorest most intensely.

The global indicator is formatted by two items that varied in different ways.

The Current Situation Index (ISA) retreated 1.3 points, driven by the financial deterioration of families, and stands at 65.6. The Expectations Index (IE) rose two points and now reaches 83.4.

The increase was motivated by the prospects for an improvement in the family’s financial situation.