- Ian Stewart, chief economist at Deloitte
Britons' confidence rebounded strongly to a record high in three months through September, as rising wages made consumers more secure about their jobs, business advisory firm Deloitte's latest report showed. Overall consumer confidence climbed by two points to -5, the highest in four years, according to the latest Consumer Tracker by Deloitte. This is despite recent turmoil in the financial markets, with the FTSE 100 plunging by 700 points during the same period. All six components of the survey, including job opportunities, career progression and perceptions about debt increased compared with the preceding quarter. Deloitte said strong employment and robust wage growth meant people were spending more money on eating out and leisure while many also felt upbeat about their job prospects in the months ahead. Moreover, as inflation slid back into negative territory in September and is predicted to remain close to zero for the remainder of the year, this would help to keep consumer confidence high for the rest of 2015.
Meanwhile, if the UK opts to stay in the EU and achieves the market reforms it wants, it could receive a 58 billion pounds economic boost and 790,000 new jobs by 2030, CEBR study showed.
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