Consumer sentiment in Great Britain moved to the lowest point on record in December.
The Nationwide Building Society reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index for the U.K. declined 4.0 points last month, to a reading of 47.0, the lowest in the four-year history of the survey.
The report showed nearly half of those surveyed think the economic situation will be worse in six months' time.
With the U.K. entering what would be its first recession since the early 1990s, "it is likely to be some time before we see confidence returning to levels seen in 2007," said Nationwide Chief Economist Fionnuala Early.
Nationwide's Spending Index increased sharply to 82 in December from 66 in November, a move attributed with heavy price cuts from merchants looking to stimulate holiday shopping.
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