Australian Consumer confidence rose significantly in the first week of 2025, primarily due to market expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia will make the long-awaited interest rate cuts in the coming months. A joint survey by ANZ Bank and polling agency Roy Morgan revealed that this week's Consumer Index increased by 3.6 points to 87.5. The four-week moving average rose by 0.5 points to 86.3. Retailers are likely to begin seeing an increase in Consumer activity, as survey records indicate a rise in consumers' willingness to purchase large Housewares. The data shows that the sub-index for 'timing to purchase a large Houseware' reached its third-highest level since June 2022. The survey indicated that weekly inflation expectations rose by 0.3 percentage points to 5.1%, while the four-week moving average remained unchanged at 4.8%.