Prairies Consumer Confidence
According to the Conference Board of Canada, consumer confidence in the Prairies was up for a third consecutive month in March 2023 after declining from the second half of 2021 through 2022.
Concerning job prospects over the next six months, the number of respondents expecting stability continued to rise. The number of respondents who expressed pessimism dipped lower in March. The gap between those respondents expecting worse conditions and those who are optimistic has widened in recent months.
Regarding expectations for their household budget over the next six months, the number of respondents expecting deterioration in their household finances was essentially unchanged as the number of respondents expecting conditions to remain the same ticked higher.
Sentiment about making major purchases, like a home or a car, remains at historically subdued levels, but ticked lower in March. The overall percentage of consumers who thought it was a good time to make a major purchase moved slightly higher in March but remained at one of the lowest levels on record.
Note: Based on 3-month moving averages.
