Ontario Consumer Confidence
According to the Conference Board of Canada, consumer confidence in Ontario edged lower in April 2019.
A near-record percentage of respondents still expect employment levels to hold steady. Even so, there was an uptick in the level of those expecting deterioration in the labour market over the next six months, although levels are still lower than the highs seen in 2015.
A vast majority of Ontarians still expect their budgets to hold steady over the next six months. The number of consumers who thought their budgets would stay the same in six months was up in April, whereas the number of respondents who were unsure fell.
The percentage of consumers who thought it was a bad time to make a big-ticket purchase moved up in April as fewer respondents expressed uncertainty on this topic.
According to the Conference Board of Canada, consumer confidence in Ontario continued to decline in January 2025.
Concerning job prospects over the next six months, the number of respondents expressing optimism over the outlook remained at the lowest levels since the financial recession, while the number of those expecting conditions to remain stable in the future also declined. There was a rise in the number of respondents expecting deterioration in the job market.
Regarding expectations for their household budget over the next six months, the number of respondents expecting their household financial situation to decline edged slightly higher compared to the previous month as the number of those expecting stability moved down. Most respondents still expect conditions to remain stable.
Sentiment about making major purchases, like a home or a car, remains at subdued levels. The number of respondents indicating they feel optimistic about whether it is a good or bad time to make a major purchase trended lower in January as the number of those who thought it was a bad time to do so rose.
Note: Based on 3-month moving averages.
