S.Korea leads global fall in consumer confidence - Nielsen

By Susan Fenton

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Consumer confidence has dropped sharply across the globe in the past six months in the wake of the financial crisis, with consumers in South Korea, Japan and Portugal most pessimistic, a survey by the Nielsen Company shows.

Indian consumers were most optimistic, although less so than in the first half of the year. Consumers in Denmark were the second most upbeat, followed by Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

In the United States -- the world's biggest consumer market -- confidence, which plunged in the first half of this year, was only marginally lower in the second half but slightly below the global average, the survey shows.

As rising concern about the economy and job security weighed on consumers, the half-yearly Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index's global average reading fell to 84, from 88 in the first half, and a peak of 99 two years ago.

A reading above 100 is considered upbeat. The highest reading since the index's launch in 2005 was 137, an individual score for India in the second half of 2006.

In the latest survey, the U.S. score dipped to 82, from 83 in the first half and compared with 100 a year ago.

The United Kingdom scored 74 and Germany's reading was 75.

The survey, taken between Sept. 22 and Oct. 6, polled 26,292 consumers across the 52 markets.