Consumer Climate Remains Poor

German consumers' hopes for an economic upswing were dampened in September, the GfK market research company announced on Monday. A GfK survey showed that consumer expectations that the economy would improve had dropped for the first time since May. The study also revealed that income expectations had risen. But the positive development would be unlikely to lead consumers to make large purchases because they still viewed the situation as being insecure, the researchers said in Nuremberg.