Consumer sentiment fell in August as people became more cautious about the economic outlook.
The IIB/ESRI consumer sentiment index dropped to 93.6, compared with 96.6 in July. A breakdown showed that the index of current economic conditions rose marginally, but the expectations index fell to 87 from 93.6.
The ESRI's David Duffy said there was a decline in households' expectations about the jobs market.
IIB economist Austin Hughes attributed the fall to some of the gloomy predictions made early last month about the effect of higher oil prices on the economy.
But he said the rise in the current index suggested that the buying climate had improved, and household spending was continuing to grow.
