Its long-running Consumer Confidence Index has fallen two points for June to -9 compared to May’s -7, and significantly, all five of its measures were lower month-on-month (but not year-on-year).That overall score of -9 was, at least, better than June 2017 when it was -10, but it’s still far from being a strong number. Meanwhile, the Personal Financial Situation index measuring changes in personal finances during the last 12 months fell one point this month to zero, again, a point higher than this time last year but not exactly impressive.

The forecast for personal finances over the next 12 months also fell two points to +6 this month from May’s +8. Despite that fall, it suggests that consumers aren’t quite so gloomy about their own futures as their current spending patter…