The Royal Bank of Canada and Ipsos Public Affairs in North America recently announced an agreement to publish the RBC CASH Index (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household).
The CASH Index is a monthly national survey of consumer attitudes on the current and future state of local economies, personal financial situations, savings and confidence to make large investments. RBC will immediately assume sponsorship of the index, which has been in existence since 2002, and the first RBC CASH Index numbers to be published in June 2005.According to Darrell Bricker, president of Ipsos Public Affairs in North America, "We are happy to partner with RBC to provide this information on consumer attitudes. RBC will bring timely and relevant economic and financial market analysis to the CASH Index, making it an even more compelling market indicator."
The RBC CASH Index will be released at the end of the first, full week of each month. In addition to the overall RBC CASH Index, RBC and Ipsos will publish four indices calculated and comprised from specific questions within the CASH Index Survey. These additional indexes include the Current Consumer Index, the Consumer Expectations Index, the Jobs & Employment Index, and the Purchasing & Investing Index.
"Over the years, Canadians have come to rely on RBC as providing insightful commentary on many aspects of the economy and personal finance," said Craig Wright, chief economist, RBC Financial Group. "By teaming with Ipsos and our colleagues in the United States, we hope to bring this knowledge to a wider audience."
The interviews are conducted the first, full week of every month, as part of the Ipsos weekly telephone omnibus polling service. The RBC CASH study includes 1,000 respondents per wave, with a quarterly sample of 3,000 respondents and is a real time barometer of consumer attitudes, publishing results within 36 hours of coming out of the field.
More information can be found at www.ipsos.com
