Consumer confidence lifts ahead of festive season

The festive season is showing lifted consumer confidence, indicating that consumers are more willing to spend, which is good news for the trade sector.

- Ina Opperman

The FNB/BER consumer confidence index released yesterday improved to -9 index points in the fourth quarter of 2025 from -13 in the third quarter.

Although the fourth quarter reading is the strongest of 2025, it remains weaker than the fourth quarter level of 2024 of -6 and well below the long-term average of -1.

Jee-A van der Linde, senior economist at Oxford Economics Africa, says the index shows that South African consumers are more cheerful in the fourth quarter and believe it is an appropriate time to buy durable goods, particularly among middle-income households.