Westpac Consumer Confidence Index

The Westpac Consumer Confidence Index measures...yes, you guessed it, consumer confidence. Plot twist: It was founded in Australia (not everything’s about Americans, mate).

The index measures economic expectations by average households using multiple indices to look at everything from consumer views on buying, taxation, investment, and employment.

The group that crunches the numbers on this index, the Westpac Group, is kept busy crunching other things too, such as Australian interest rate expectations, GDP, retail sales, and more. The world follows this index, as Aussies are loved by all and have such nice weather. And then there's that white dome thing by the water. It's kind of a citizens-of-the-world place to go, hence a decent proxy for gauging consumer confidence in the world.