A new poll of Americans’ view of the national economy and their own finances has uncovered a paradox: While nearly two-thirds think the country is in a recession or going in the wrong direction, the vast majority believe their personal prospects will improve or stay the course. A current of […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Continued to Improve in January
Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index improved slightly for the month of January, climbing to -16 from -19 in December. Although a disheartening jobs report and steep stock market losses negatively affected Americans’ confidence in the short term, Americans’ economic confidence improved for the third month in a row after dipping to […] Read more »
The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding. Just Ask the Business World.
… As politicians and pundits in Washington continue to spar over whether economic inequality is in fact deepening, in corporate America there really is no debate at all. The post-recession reality is that the customer base for businesses that appeal to the middle class is shrinking as the top tier […] Read more »
Consumer Confidence in U.S. Fell Last Week to Two-Month Low
Consumer confidence dropped last week to the lowest level in two months as more Americans said it was not a good time to shop. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index declined to minus 31.8 in the week ended Jan. 26 from minus 31 reading the prior period. The buying-climate gauge slumped […] Read more »
Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Increases Again
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had rebounded in December, increased again in January. The Index now stands at 80.7 (1985=100), up from 77.5 in December. The Present Situation Index increased to 79.1 from 75.3. The Expectations Index increased to 81.8 from 79.0 last month. CONT. Conference Board Read more »
Economic Confidence Ticks Down
Americans’ confidence in the economy slipped during the past two weeks, ending the gradual rise that coincided with the end of the federal government shutdown in mid-October. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index averaged -16 last week, down slightly from -13 in the first week of 2014. CONT. Alyssa Brown, Gallup Read more »