Consumer sentiment bounced back for August, the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment revealed yesterday.
While still very low, the index rose by 9.1 per cent over to 86.2 per cent – the third biggest monthly jump in the last five years.
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Bill Evans, Westpac chief economist, said the improvement was most likely due to the sharp fall in petrol prices.
Mr Evans said that considerable scepticism remained among consumers with regards to interest rates because of concerns dominating the media that banks might not pass on rate cuts to consumers.
Published: 14-08-08