Consumer confidence is showing signs of improving in Canada after weeks of record lows from business shutdowns and strict social distancing measures.

The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index, a composite gauge based on weekly telephone and online polling, ticked up slightly to 38.73 in its second-straight gain after more than two months in free fall. While the index remains near its worst-ever reading, the slight rise in confidence suggests that negative sentiment may be plateauing amid talk of reopening the economy.

“After a steep decline in consumer confidence, weekly tracking in the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index suggests a flattening of the negative trajectory,” pollster Nik Nanos said by email. He added that the forward-looking expectations subindex “realized a minor lift in sentiment.”

Canadians’ views on their personal finances, their perceptions of job security and their expectations for the economy all improved. Housing, however, was a weak spot, with a record number of respondents expecting the value of real estate to decrease in the next six months.

The poll is a hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,000 Canadians, with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. It was taken for the week ending May 8.