Consumer Pulse

The Consumer Pulse came in at 77.1 in October 2021, down 4.0 on last month but 28.5 higher than a year ago. Households lowered their assessment of the economic outlook this month and were also more downbeat about their own financial situation. The cost of living was very much on minds, with a further softening in buying sentiment evident in the October data – some 27% considered it a good time to buy big ticket items versus almost a third during the summer – while the share of households expecting consumer prices to increase over the next year rose to a series high of 85%.