British consumer confidence held steady in July as a small deterioration in Britons' expectations for their own finances was offset by a more upbeat view of the economy as a whole.
The GfK/NOP consumer confidence index, which is conducted on behalf of the European Commission, was unchanged at -25 in July, 14 points higher than this time last year but below the consensus forecast of -23.
Britons' perceptions of the current economic situation improved one point, possibly reflecting hopes the country may pull out of recession more quickly than previously feared.
However, people's view of their own finances deteriorated by one point after a steady improvement over the course of the year.
Recent indicators suggest the worst of the recession may be over but unemployment is still rising and policymakers have warned that any recovery could be fragile.
"The lack of major movement in any of the ratings suggests that consumers are holding steady and waiting to see what happens," said GfK's Rachael Joy.
Reuters