Frankfurt am Main: German consumers remain in the mood to shop heading into 2019 but concerns about external risks to the German economy are mounting, a key survey found on Friday.
Market research firm GfK said its forward-looking barometer stood at 10.4 points for January, unchanged from December when morale dipped slightly on the previous month. The survey of some 2,000 people showed a mixed picture however. Respondents were more optimistic about their income expectations at the turn of the year, boosted by a strong labour market and high wages. But their outlook for the German economy fell to a near two-year low, sapped by US-led global trade tensions and uncertainties over Brexit. Amid concerns of a slowdown in Europe’s export-oriented powerhouse, consumers were less likely to splash out on big purchases, GfK found. — AFP
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