Australian consumer sentiment has stalled in the first months of 2025, after  improving materially in the second half of 2024 according to the latest Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment index. The index edged up 0.1% in February to 92.2, up from 92.1 in January.     

Recovery has stalled over the past three months as family finances continue to be under pressure against a more unsettled global economic and geopolitical backdrop. Westpac said consumers are less concerned about the forward view—with some worry about the economic outlook but rising optimism about prospects for family finances. Many consumers are still struggling with cost-of-living pressures.