SEOUL, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Sentiment among South Korean consumers kept worsening for three straight months to this month amid worry about the continued fall in export, central bank data showed Friday.
The composite consumer sentiment index (CCSI) came in at 95.9 in July, down 1.6 points from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The downward trend lasted from May, after rising for the past five months. The figure below 100 indicates pessimists outnumbering optimists.
The worsening of consumer sentiment came amidst growing concern about export, which continued to fall for the seventh consecutive month through June.
Adding to the concern, Japan tightened regulations early this month on its export of South Korea of three materials crucial for the production of memory chips and display panels, the mainstay of the South Korean export.
Inflation expectations, which reflect outlook among consumers over headline inflation for the next 12 months, stood unchanged at 2.1 percent in July compared with the prior month.
