S. Korea’s consumer sentiment sinks in Jan.

South Korean consumers’ sentiment slipped in January, with more people expecting their income and overall economic conditions to further decline, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The Composite Consumer Sentiment Index came in at 100 for January, falling from the revised 102 for December, according to the data.

The reading was on par with July last year when the economy fell into the doldrums in the aftermath of a nationwide outbreak of MERS.

A reading below 100 indicates that pessimists outnumber the optimists. The index was based on a survey of 2,200 households throughout the country.

The CCSI showed that one of the measurements for gauging people’s sentiment toward their current livelihoods compared with that from six months earlier came in at 90 in January, falling from the previous month. The CCSI for future livelihoods also dropped to 96 from 98 over the cited period, according to the BOK.

A separate index gauging the public’s outlook on their future income also slipped to 100 from 101 in December.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)