German consumer sentiment is projected to fall to another record low in July, as the Ukraine war and interrupted supply chains push up energy and food prices even further, a GfK survey has shown.
The GfK institute said its consumer sentiment index, based on a survey of around 2,000 Germans, dropped to -27.4 points heading into July after posting a short-lived recovery in June with a revised reading of -26.2 points.
"The ongoing war in Ukraine and disruptions in supply chains are causing energy and food prices in particular to skyrocket, resulting in a gloomier consumer climate than ever before," said Rolf Buerkl, GfK consumer expert.
Decline In Morale
The latest plunge in consumer morale, based on a June 2-13 survey, was however not as severe as an analysts' forecast of -27.7, according to a Reuters poll.
In May, German inflation rose to 8.7% - its highest level in nearly half a century - as the fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine built on existing bottlenecks caused by the pandemic.
The consumer climate indicator forecasts the development of real private consumption in the following month.
An indicator reading above zero signals year-on-year growth in private consumption. A value below zero indicates a drop compared with the same period a year earlier.
According to GfK, a one-point change in the indicator corresponds to a year-on-year change of 0.1% in private consumption.
Read More: German Retail Sales Drop In April As Food Prices Bite
'Willingness To Buy'
The "willingness to buy" indicator represents the balance between positive and negative responses to the question: "Do you think now is a good time to buy major items?"
The income expectations sub-index reflects expectations about the development of household finances in the coming 12 months.
The additional business cycle expectations index reflects the assessment of those questioned of the general economic situation in the next 12 months.
News by Reuters, edited by ESM – your source for the latest retail news. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
