Escalation in the Middle East and rising oil prices have dented German consumer sentiment: GfK's August consumer confidence index fell to -29.6, below economists' forecasts, with July revised to -29.3 from -29.2. The survey attributed the decline mainly to weaker income expectations and a stronger propensity to save, saying consumers are pessimistic about their finances over the next 12 months. Purchase intentions and general economic expectations ticked up modestly. Rolf Buerkl, head of consume

Escalation in the Middle East and rising oil prices have dented German consumer sentiment: GfK's August consumer confidence index fell to -29.6, below economists' forecasts, with July revised to -29.3 from -29.2. The survey attributed the decline mainly to weaker income expectations and a stronger propensity to save, saying consumers are pessimistic about their finances over the next 12 months. Purchase intentions and general economic expectations ticked up modestly. Rolf Buerkl, head of consumer confidence at the Nuremberg market research institute, said persistent uncertainty is keeping many households cautious on spending.