SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's consumer sentiment turned downward in September due to worries about export downturn and the sluggish construction sector, central bank data showed Wednesday.
The composite consumer sentiment index, which gauges the sentiment of consumers over economic situation, fell 1.3 points over the month to 110.1 in September after going up for the past five months, according to the Bank of Korea.
The downward turn was attributable to the faltering construction industry and concerns about export slump, caused by the U.S. tariffs imposition.
The Asian country's export rose 1.3 percent in August from a year earlier, but its shipment to the United States sank in double digits.
The country's industrial output grew 0.3 percent in July from a month ago, but production in the construction sector dwindled 1.0 percent in the same month.
The sub-index for current economic situation slipped 2 points to 91 in September compared to the previous month, and the index for economic outlook declined 3 points to 97.
The index for prospective consumption expenditure dipped 1 point to 110 in the cited month.
Inflation expectations, which measure the outlook among consumers over headline inflation for the next 12 months, retreated 0.1 percentage point to 2.5 percent in September on a monthly basis.
After peaking at 4.7 percent in July 2022, the inflation expectations had roughly been on the decline.
The result was based on a survey of 2,277 households conducted from Sept. 9 to 16. ■