Weekly Bloomberg Nanos survey finds the pocketbook index fell sharply, while economic expectations tick up but stay below neutral
Canadian consumer confidence dipped toward neutral last week with concerns about personal finances and job security pulling the headline reading lower even as forward-looking expectations showed a modest improvement.
The weekly Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index put the composite index at 50.42, down from 51.73 four weeks earlier, a signal that Canadians remain essentially split on the overall state of the economy.
The steepest slide came in the pocketbook measure, which tracks views on personal finances and employment.
That sub-index dropped to 51.48 from 55.01 over the same four-week period, a fall of more than three and a half points that underscores growing unease about household financial conditions. Just 10.82% of respondents said they were better off financially than a year ago, compared with 47.02% who said they were worse off.
Job security sentiment also softened, with positive ratings slipping to 64.33 from 71.02 four weeks ago, though it remained the strongest individual component in the survey. Views on real estate were similarly subdued, with only 36.65% of respondents anticipating an increase in neighbourhood property values, down from 40.98% a month earlier.
Against that backdrop, the expectations sub-index, which measures outlooks for the broader economy and real estate prices, edged up to 49.36 from 48.45. While the uptick is the only component to improve over the four-week window, it still sits below the neutral threshold of 50.
The current reading sits well below the long-run average of 54.73 recorded since 2008, and also trails the 2026 high of 54.19 reached in late February. The year-to-date average stands at 50.62. By comparison, the index hit a record low of 37.08 in April 2020 at the height of pandemic uncertainty and a record high of 66.42 in July 2021 as the economic reopening fuelled optimism.
Regional data shows a pronounced split across the country. Quebec recorded the strongest reading at 54.46, while Ontario, home to the largest share of Canada's population, came in at 46.48, the weakest of all regions tracked. British Columbia was also below the neutral mark at 47.87. The Prairies and Atlantic Canada both registered readings above 50, at 53.10 and 50.71 respectively.
Age group breakdowns reveal that Canadians aged 18 to 29 were the most upbeat cohort, with a confidence reading of 55.45, while those in the 30 to 39 bracket registered the weakest sentiment at 47.28. Renters reported stronger confidence than homeowners, with readings of 54.08 and 49.33 respectively.
The Bloomberg Nanos index is based on rolling telephone interviews with 1,024 Canadians aged 18 and over, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
