According to the monthly consumer tendency survey released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), the consumer confidence index* in Turkey, which stood at 76.7 points in February, decreased by 2.3 percent month on month in March to 74.9 points, following four consecutive months of increase on month-on-month basis.
According to the indices based on individual questions asked of Turkish consumers concerning the consumer tendency, in March the index for the general current economic situation fell by 0.3 percent to 93.6 points, while the index for the general economic situation in the next 12 months fell by one percent to 98 points, both compared to February.
Meanwhile, in March, the index for whether the present is a good time to purchase durable goods increased by 0.3 percent to 97.8 points, while the index for the probability of buying durable goods in the next 12 months increased by 1.4 percent to 97.4 points, the probability of buying a car in the next 12 months rose by 14.6 percent to 11.9 points, and the index for the probability of buying or building a home in the next 12 months increased by 7.9 percent to 11.3 points, all on month-on-month basis.
* When the index is above 100 it indicates an optimistic outlook, when it is equal to 100 it indicates a neutral outlook, and below 100 it points to a pessimistic outlook.