(Yicai) Jan. 9 -- Consumer confidence rose in Shanghai in the final three months of last year, according to a gauge compiled by the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Shanghai’s consumer confidence index came in at 101.7 in the three months ended Dec. 31, up 1 point from a year earlier and 0.3 point from the third quarter, the SUFE said today. A reading above 100 indicated positive sentiment.

The city’s consumer confidence index has two core sub-indexes -- the consumer evaluation and consumer expectation sub-indexes -- and eight categorical sub-indexes.

The consumer evaluation sub-index stood at 101.2 in the fourth quarter, up 4.3 points from the same period last year and 2.5 points from the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the consumer expectations sub-index fell 2.4 points and 2 points, respectively, to 102.2 points in the periods.

The sub-index for the economic situation evaluation climbed 11.5 points to 124.8 in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, making it the index with the largest year-on-year growth, indicating that consumers were more satisfied with Shanghai’s economy. The purchase willingness sub-index rose 1.3 point to 81.1.

The sub-indexes’ sharp decline in the third quarter resulted in a rebound in the fourth quarter, but the figures were still low, said Xu Guoxiang, director of the SUFE’s Research Center for Applied Statistics.

Last year’s economic recovery, improvements in major economic indicators, such as consumption and investment, and the expansion in domestic demand made consumer confidence in the fourth quarter stay within an optimistic territory, Xu noted. However, the complicated external economic situation and the incomplete internal economic structure also had an impact, he added.

Consumers are more worried about their employment and income situation, so we should support the development of new forms of employment and self-employment and strengthen vocational training to promote employment, ensure income, and stabilize economic recovery results, Xu suggested.

Editor: Futura Costaglione