FGV Consumer Confidence

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IBRE/FGV's monthly Consumer Confidence Survey is designed to capture the sentiment of consumers about the general state of economy and their personal finances. Happy and optimistic consumers are likely to spend more; unhappy and pessimistic consumers spend less. Consumer confidence can thus operate to induce or reduce economic growth. Monitoring consumer sentiment can produce signals about future spending and saving that are useful for anticipating what will happen to the economy in the short run. The IBRE/FGV studies obtain, among other information, consumer assessments and forecasts about the local and family economic situation at the time and for the following months, employment prospects, and intentions and likelihood of buying high-value goods in the next six months. The Consumer Confidence Survey was started in 2002, and data are collected from over 2,000 informants in seven major state capitals: Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo.