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INFLATIONARY PRESSURE: The gauge on household income fell to the lowest level in 13 months, as consumers worried that rising prices would weaken their finances

The consumer confidence index this month fell 0.93 points to 73.33 amid concerns that consumer price hikes would erode household income, while boosting the appeal of durable goods, a survey released yesterday by National Central University showed.

The consumer sentiment gauge softened for the fourth month in a row to the lowest level since February, although the nation has emerged from a local COVID-19 outbreak.

The reading on household income for the next six months reported the biggest drop of 5.15 points to 81.95, the lowest in 13 months, as people worried that rising consumer prices would weaken their financial standing, said Dachrahn Wu (吳大任), director of the university’s Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development, which conducted the survey.

The level of public confidence in consumer prices for the next six months also fell, retreating 3.35 points to 35.5, the survey showed.

About 95 percent of the respondents believe items would become more expensive and add to their financial burdens, Wu said.

Confidence in the nation’s economic outlook in the next six months fell 2.2 points to 86.7, the lowest in 10 months, even though the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics on Friday raised its forecast for GDP growth this year by 0.21 percentage points from its August projection to 6.09 percent.

That is because a global recovery is benefiting local exporters of tech and non-tech products, but service providers that rely on domestic demand are not yet out of the woods, Wu said.

The sub-index on purchases of durable goods — including real estate and home appliances — picked up 3.7 points to 120.5, the highest since December last year, the survey showed.

Concern over inflation has driven funds to the housing market, Wu said, adding that government-backed stimulus vouchers valued at NT$5,000 bolstered purchases of home appliances.

The confidence gauge on stock investment rose 1.4 points to 48.8, indicating poor investment sentiment, which has yet to reflect concerns over the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, he said.

Values of 100 or higher suggest optimistic views and points below the threshold indicate pessimism. The survey was conducted from Nov. 18 to 21, before reports of the Omicron variant emerged in South Africa, Wu said.

People also turned slightly more confident about finding jobs in the next six months, as the sub-index rose 0.05 point to 66.6, the survey found.

Job losses narrowed, but were still higher from a year earlier, government data showed.

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title: Prices weigh on consumer confidence


content_text: 楠梓分局後勁所於30日12時25分許接獲仁武分局通報於東南水泥廠內有人受傷，疑似廠方在進行拆除水泥塔時因震動導致一旁噴霧塔倒塌，壓住怪手及司機。12時38分現場回報已將人員搶救出（翁姓司機，約42歲），由119送高雄榮總救治中。（圖文：記者蔣謙正）

taiwan-subdivisions: 高雄 仁武 楠梓

title: 東南水泥拆塔倒塌 壓傷怪手司機送醫 | 中華日報


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〔記者凌美雪／台北報導〕今年39歲的陳柏均接下總統文化獎「青年創意獎」，感謝母親從小教導他在沒有人看到的時候也要做善事，感謝中學老師沒有放棄他，還有朋友、助理、夥伴一直以來的包容與體諒，感謝家人在疫情最嚴重時的金援與支持，並提醒他要謙虛；最後感謝評審委員，「要不是這個獎，我可能在疫情最低潮時放棄了霹靂舞」。

陳柏均談及不被父親認同的過往，激動落淚。（文化總會提供）

陳柏均國小因父親買的一捲錄音帶《跳》愛上舞蹈，高中開始鑽研霹靂舞後全部精神都花在跳舞上，此後帶著台灣街舞「跳」到世界各地，每次在國外比賽或表演，都不忘揮舞國旗向世界展示台灣的美好，後來更成為奧運諮詢的對象。陳柏均說，當他知道霹靂舞有機會納入奧運時，便到處奔波推動，也因此成為2024巴黎奧運新項目首位華人顧問。

陳柏均指導，藉由街舞帶給兒童全方位學習的團體HRC KiDS，於頒獎典禮表演。（文化總會提供）

沒想到跳霹靂舞也可以成為國手，跳霹靂舞還能拿到總統文化獎。陳柏均領獎致詞時，回顧從街頭跳進國際舞台的過程，數度哽咽，尤其過去很長時間不被父親認同，曾經以為人生最大的遺憾，是無法讓父親理解自己到底在做什麼；談到此，陳柏均忍不住激動落淚，「謝謝總統文化獎的鼓勵，讓我的父親終於認同了我，很開心我和我爸爸的關係終於改善了。」

獲獎讓他確定一直以來的堅持是對的，「街舞改變了我的人生，我也希望可以用街舞去改變全世界。」陳柏均說，走過很多國家，真心覺得身在台灣是一件非常幸福的事，雖然拿到青年創意獎，但不敢說自己多有創意，「我只是很專注地把我熱愛的文化發揮到最酷。嘻哈街舞文化裡最重要的是和平、愛、團結、好玩有趣，我想這就是我創意靈感來源吧！」

title: 不僅獲頒總統文化獎 他跳霹靂舞竟成2024巴黎奧運顧問