German consumer sentiment expected to improve in December

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - German consumer sentiment is expected to improve in December compared to a month ago due to the decline in energy prices, a GfK institute survey showed on Friday.

The GfK Consumer Climate Indicator in Germany is forecast to rise 1.7 points month-on-month to minus 40.2 points in December.

The improvement in December's reading was led by ease of consumers' long-standing concerns over surging energy prices, said Rolf Burkl, a GfK consumer expert.

"On the one hand, some energy prices have recently recovered a bit, and on the other hand, consumers apparently assume that the measures adopted to cap energy prices can help curb inflation, even if this may turn out to be rather modest," Burkl said.