Taiwan consumer confidence hits new high in January

2015-01-30

Taiwan’s Consumer Confidence Index hit an all-time high of 88.23 in January, up 1.87 points from the month before and notching up improvements across all economic fundamentals.

The overall benchmark’s six subindexes posted gains, reflecting rising consumer expectations for the first half of the year, according to the latest survey released Jan. 28 by Taoyuan City-based National Central University’s Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development.

“Stock investment is the biggest contributor to the positive result, up 4.4 points to 92.3,” RCTED Director Dachrahn Wu said. “With Taiwan’s economy poised for steady recovery going forward, buoyant investor confidence will help push the local bourse even higher.”

Economic outlook came in second with a gain of 2.2 points to 85.1, followed by durable goods purchases, which remained above the 100-point mark for the 16th month at 106.8, up 1.55 points from December.

Household finance grew by 1.35 points to 81.2, rising over the 80-point mark for the first time in 31 months, employment opportunities topped the 100-point mark for 46 months in a row, up 1.25 points to a record high of 113.45, while consumer prices inched up 0.45 of a point to 50.5.

Conducted by phone Jan. 19-22, the national survey involved 2,426 randomly selected adults over the age of 20. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points and a confidence level of 95 percent.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=226939&CtNode=413)