Rio, October 3, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Index of Consumer Expectations, compiled by the Fecomércio Institute-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Federation of Commerce Institute), indicates an improvement in all income strata, from consumers who earn the equivalent of more than 20 minimum wages to those who earn less than eight. For this reason the Fecomércio Institute believes that the 1.60% increase in the index (which rose from 95.83 points in August to 97.36 points in September - the best result since January, 2001) can mean better retail sales at year's end. (DAS)