In yet another sign that partisan wrangling over the federal budget is rattling the American consumer, Gallup’s Standard of Living Index has tumbled eight points in the past month to 31, its lowest reading since January. The index is a summary of whether Americans are satisfied with their current standard […] Read more »

As the government shutdown continued for a second week and Washington leaders scrambled to avoid a default on U.S. debt obligations, Americans’ confidence in the economy continued to erode last week. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index averaged -39, down five points from the prior week. That followed a 12-point drop during […] Read more »

Consumer confidence was little changed last week even as the government’s partial shutdown and the prospect of a default made Americans less optimistic about the economy. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index retreated to minus 29.7 in the week ended Oct. 6 from minus 29.4. The decrease was within the margin of […] Read more »

Americans’ confidence in the economy has deteriorated more in the past week during the partial government shutdown than in any week since Lehman Brothers collapsed on Sept. 15, 2008, which triggered a global economic crisis. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index tumbled 12 points to -34 last week, the second-largest weekly decline […] Read more »

Americans’ self-reports of daily spending averaged $84 throughout September, down sharply from August’s $95, and the lowest monthly figure since February. The August average had been the highest in any month in five years. [cont.] Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Read more »

Americans’ confidence in the U.S. economy has dropped sharply as the partial government shutdown caused by Congress’ inability to pass a spending bill has become reality. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index’s three-day rolling average stands at -34 for Oct. 1-3, down 14 points from Sept. 27-29, and the lowest such average […] Read more »