Consumer sentiment worsened this month due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant amid a spike in COVID-19 infections.

According to the Bank of Korea(BOK) on Tuesday, the Composite Consumer Sentiment Index(CCSI) came to 103-point-one in February. Having improved in January following a drop the previous month, the February reading is a decrease of one-point-three from last month.

Despite the downtick, consumers appear to remain marginally optimistic relative to the long-term average, as indicated by a reading over 100, with a sub-100 reading indicative of a pessimistic outlook.

A BOK official attributed the worsened consumer sentiment to a spike in coronavirus infections, but added that the nature of the omicron variant mitigated a more significant drop.

Despite the composite index exceeding 100, five of the six indexes comprising the CCSI dropped in February.

The index gauging people's assessment of the current economy fell one point on-month to 75, while the index gauging people's future outlook on the economy slipped two points to 91.

A subindex measuring people's future outlook on housing prices fell three points on-month to 97 in February, falling for the sixth consecutive month. It marks the first time the figure fell below 100 since May 2020.