Belgium Consumers More Pessimistic In April

(RTTNews) - Belgian consumer confidence weakened and remained negative for the fourth straight month in April, the National Bank of Belgium said on Monday.

The consumer sentiment index dropped to -6.0 in April from -5.0 in the previous month.

The slump in confidence is limited, despite a clear deterioration in employment expectations, the survey said.

Consumers' opinion on the general economic situation stayed negative in April, though it improved somewhat to -18 from -20.

The index measuring the financial situation of households rose slightly to -1 from -2. Likewise, the index for savings among households climbed to 18 from 17.

Fears of a rise in unemployment over the coming twelve months increased. The corresponding index posted 24 compared to 17 in March.