The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined in January, rebounded in February. The Index now stands at 69.6 (1985=100), up from 58.4 in January. [cont.] Conference Board Read more »
Economic Confidence Holds Near Five-Year High
Americans continue to remain as upbeat about the economy as they have been at any point in the last five years. Although they are still more negative than positive about the economy overall, their -11 score on Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index this past week is three points off the five-year […] Read more »
The country has a confidence problem and it’s Congress’s fault
The country has a confidence problem, and Congress bears much of the responsibility for it. That conclusion, drawn by Republican pollster Bill McInturff, carries ill omens as lawmakers seem all but certain to let more than $1 trillion in automatic spending cuts go into effect at the end of the […] Read more »
Useful Cost-of-Living Data Don’t Come Cheap
Global cost-of-living rankings are always a hit with headline writers and readers, curious as to how Tokyo compares with New York or London. But though the numbers make for entertaining copy, factors such as currency fluctuations and the surveys’ small sample size mean the standings may not be all that […] Read more »
Money Changes Everything
… As more data come in, however, many economists are becoming convinced of one significant change: the original Easterlin paradox doesn’t quite hold up. Broadly speaking, the data now indicate that as people get richer, they report getting happier too. … As we ponder how to help the nearly three […] Read more »
Most States See Gains in Economic Confidence
Economic confidence improved in most states last year. However, the Gallup Economic Confidence Index remained negative in all 50 states in 2012, while it turned positive in the District of Columbia. After the nation’s capital, the index registered its highest averages in Minnesota, Hawaii, Maryland, and Iowa. It was lowest […] Read more »