The consumer confidence index (ICC) created by Di Tella University recorded a decline of 1.07% in Decembernow at 45.55 points.
The setback interrupts the recovery that the indicator showed in the last few months and is deepening the gap to the high of 47.38 points reached in January of this year.
The measurement taken between December 1st and 15th shows that the index is now localized 3.86% below the peak recorded in early 2025.
Year-on-year, the CCI also shows a decline of 1.04% compared to December 2024, Although after the first measures taken by the Milei government there is an increase of 28% compared to the low point reached in January last year.
The regional panorama shows clear contrasts. The city of Buenos Aires was the positive exception, with an increase of 21.01% this month. consolidates as the region with the highest index (48.31 points) and exceeds the previous year’s value by 14.55%.
At the other end, The interior suffered the worst monthly decline with a decrease of 7.82%, which is 8.70% lower than December 2024.
He The greater Buenos Aires area also showed weakness with a decline of 2.49% over the month and is only 0.30% below the previous year’s level. At 43.61 points, the metropolitan region has the lowest index of the three areas examined.
The component analysis in turn shows that the subindex of Durable goods and real estate were the hardest hit. with a decline of 3.38% in December. This indicator, which measures the willingness to make important purchases, reached 34.42 points, but still shows a year-on-year growth of 5.54%.
The The macroeconomic situation worsened 0.53% per month, while the Personal Situation remained practically stable with a slight increase of 0.03%.
The gap by income level widened in December. High-income households, however, kept their index unchanged at 47.41 points Those with low incomes saw a sharp decline of 4.47%which is 43.22 points.
This divergence reflects that the declining optimism It hits the lower-income sectors harder.
Both future expectations and perceptions of the present showed a deterioration. Current conditions are down 1.70% compared to November, but are still up 4.74% year-over-year. Meanwhile, future expectations fell 0.66% over the month and are 4.45% below December 2024.
The Di Tella University survey is carried out using a sample of 1,000 cases in major urban centers across the country, with an error rate of 3.5%. The index combines questions about personal economic situation, overall economic prospects and willingness to purchase durable goods and real estate.
The decline in December makes it clear that after several months of gradual improvement and the post-election hustle and bustle Consumer sentiment cooled again.
The year 2025 is coming to an end and the ICC is in session practically at the same level as 12 months agoThis shows that trust is not growing sustainably.
The challenge that the ruling party will face in the coming months will be reverse this trend and to consolidate a more significant improvement in the expectations of Argentine households, particularly among people with lower incomes who are most affected by the current economic situation.
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