Jan 2 (Reuters) - Israel's consumer confidence index rose
0.1 points in December, following a rise of 3.1 points in
November, Bank Hapoalim and TNS Teleseeker said on Wednesday.
Dec '12 Nov '12 Oct '12 Jan '12
Consumer confidence 126.7 126.6 123.5 130.0
index
Present situation index 165.3 164.6 158.4 171.7
Expectations index 100.9 101.2 100.2 102.3
* "During 2012 there was a slight worsening in consumers'
confidence. We estimate that consumers' confidence was hurt
mainly by the rise in prices for basic products such as fuel and
food and from geopolitical uncertainty, mainly revolving around
the issue of Iran. In contrast, the employment market remained
relatively stable and the capital market was characterised by
rising prices and these largely offset the (negative) effects,"
the report said.
* Israel's economy grew an estimated 3.3 percent in 2012
after a 4.6 percent pace in 2011.
(Reporting by Tova Cohen)