Lisbon, Aug. 28, 2026 (Lusa) - The consumer confidence indicator fell in August, following three consecutive monthly rises, whilst business confidence, based on business surveys, recovered from the decline recorded in July, Statistics Portugal (INE) announced on Friday.
According to the INE's business surveys, the consumer confidence indicator fell in August, having risen between May and July, reflecting outlooks on the future development of the country's economic situation, households' major purchases, and households' financial situation.
Conversely, views on the past development of households' financial situation made a positive contribution.
According to the statistics institute, the net balance of consumers' assessments of past price trends fell over the last four months, with April recording the largest increase since May 2008.
As for the net balance of expectations regarding future price trends, it rose in August after falling between April and July.
The economic climate indicator, based on business surveys, rose in August after falling the previous month, with confidence indicators rising in construction and public works and in services, but falling in trade and manufacturing.
In construction and public works, the indicator rose over the last two months after falling in June, reaching its highest level since 1 January 2002, driven by positive contributions from both components: employment prospects and assessments of the order book.
According to INE, the confidence indicator for services also rose in August, after falling the previous month, reflecting only the positive contribution from views on the order book trend.
Conversely, the confidence indicator for the retail sector fell in July and August after rising in June, reflecting assessments of current stock levels and the outlook for activity over the next three months.
In the manufacturing sector, the indicator fell in July and August, after stabilising over the previous two months, driven solely by production outlooks.
The INE noted that the net balance of business leaders' expectations regarding future trends in selling prices increased in trade, manufacturing and construction, whilst it fell in services.
In this edition of INE's business surveys, data collection took place between 3 and 14 August (working days) for the consumer survey, with 1,200 responses obtained (via telephone interviews), and between 1 August and 24 August in the case of the qualitative business surveys («webinq»), with 1,225 responses in the trade sector, 632 responses in the construction sector, 1,365 responses in the manufacturing sector and 1,353 responses in the services sector.
PD/ADB // ADB.
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