EGYPT is among the most optimistic countries about the future, a recent report says. The report, issued by Nielsen, a global provider of information about consumer activities in 56 countries, shows that consumer confidence among Egyptians reached 103 points in the second quarter of 2012 (Q2 2012), with six points more than the previous quarter, which is the highest increase in the Middle East and North Africa. Consumer confidence in Egypt, according to the report, is the highest since 2005, placing Egypt among the group of countries most optimistic about their future. The report also mentioned that global consumer confidence declined three index points to 91 in Q2 2012 compared to the previous quarter, but is up by two points compared to the same period of 2011. Moreover, the Nielsen report pointed out that consumer confidence in Q2 2012 declined in 26 out of 56 markets, increased in 23 and remained with no change in seven. The findings of the survey conducted by Nielsen, the report states, indicate that Egypt heads the list of the top 10 countries to think their country will be out of the economic recession in the coming 12 months, with about 60 per cent of respondents believing that Egypt will exit recession within a year. The biggest quarterly consumer confidence gains in Q2 2012, the report says, were reported in France (+11), Belgium (+9), Finland (+7), Switzerland (+7), Austria (+6), Egypt (+6), Greece (+6), Poland (+5), Malaysia (+4) and Sweden (+4). The biggest quarterly consumer confidence declines in Q2 2012 were reported in Taiwan (-12), Argentina (-5), Australia (-5), China (-5), Netherlands (-5), the United States (-5), Brazil (-4), India (-4), Italy (-4), Norway (-4) and Saudi Arabia (-4).
