Consumers in the Netherlands remained somewhat less pessimistic in September as willingness to buy improved slightly, data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed on Thursday.
The consumer confidence index rose marginally to -39 in September from -40 in August. Further, the indicator in September was well below the 20-year average of -10 points.
Among its components, consumers were slightly more pessimistic about the economy in September than in August, with the economic climate sub-indicator dropping to -57 from -56 in August.
The index measuring willingness to buy stood at -28 in September, compared to -29 in August. Consumers found the time for making major purchases less unfavourable than in August.
Separate official data showed that the seasonally adjusted rate remained stable at 3.6 percent in August.
The number of unemployed people rose to 364,000 in August from 362,000 in July. A year ago, it was 378,000.
