A survey which measures how consumers feel about the economic outlook showed little change last month compared with February.
The consumer sentiment index, compiled by KBC and the ESRI, slipped slightly to 44.1 from 44.2 in February.
The ESRI's David Duffy said that despite the relatively stable figure, the index remained close to its lowest levels and consumers remained cautious.
KBC economist Austin Hughes said the figure was 'encouraging', as there were more job losses and news of a supplementary Budget during the period. He said this was probably because consumers were already very gloomy, but lower interest rates and falling prices were helping sentiment.
A breakdown showed that the part of the survey which measures how people feel about current conditions moved up slightly, but the expectations index - which covers the coming months - fell marginally.
