LONDON (MarketWatch) -- British consumer confidence held steady in August for the third consecutive month, research firm GfK NOP said Friday. The firm's consumer confidence index held at -25, unchanged from July and June and up from -36 in August 2008. Confidence in the "general economy" over the last 12 months rose three points to -69 from -72, while the gauge measuring confidence in the economy over the next 12 months slipped a point to -9 from -8 in July. While U.K. consumers "are still cautious about the economy, they are less depressed than this time last year," said Rachael Joy, a member of the GfK NOP consumer confidence team. "Recent reports of housing market improvements and economic recovery may well be lifting the public confidence."
