French consumer confidence jumped in February to its highest level since "yellow vest" protesters started their weekly demonstrations, as households took heart in an improvement in their finances and unemployment fears receded.
The reading of 95 points marked the highest level for the consumer confidence index since October, which was the month before "yellow vests" protesters started weekend marches against high living costs and President Emmanuel Macron's policies.
The increase in the index by the national INSEE statistics office, which beat the average forecasts of economists, came as Macron's costly measures to boost workers' income and quell the protests kicked in this month.
In December, the French leader decided to speed up an increase in benefits received by the poorest workers, halt a planned rise in fuel taxes, and reduce taxes on overtime, for a total cost of 10 billion euros ($11.35 billion).
The national statistics office, INSEE, said the number of consumers who had observed an improvement in their finances in the past year had increased, while more of them also expected the increase to continue in the future.
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