… This is an election about nothing — and everything. Unlike in previous midterm election years, no dominant national theme has emerged for the 2014 campaign, according to public opinion surveys as well as interviews last week with scores of voters in five key states and with dozens of politicians […] Read more »
Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index stalls
Americans’ ratings of their own finances and the national economy dipped to a two-month low this week, stalling the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index after an early summer advance. While essentially unchanged from last week, the CCI, at 36.2 on a 0-100 scale, has slipped slightly from 37.6 two weeks ago […] Read more »
Why an Improving Economy Isn’t Improving Obama’s Numbers
New polling from NBC/Wall Street Journal shows a public still struggling to regain its economic footing six years after the financial meltdown of 2008. Americans’ real economic distress is one reason why President Obama is not getting credit for a steadily dropping unemployment rate and improved economic growth. The other […] Read more »
Consumer confidence: Favorable job and wage growth boost spending
More rapid job creation, higher wages and gains in household wealth have eased the financial strains on households as well as supported more favorable buying plans for vehicles and household durables, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. CONT. Institute for Social Research, U. of Michigan Read more »
CNN Poll: Percentage who say economy’s ‘good’ on the rise
Most Americans still say that the economy’s in poor shape. But the percentage who describe economic conditions as good continue to slowly but steadily increase, and now stands at its highest level since before the last recession, according to a new national survey. CONT. Paul Steinhauser, CNN Read more »
Consumer Confidence Declines in U.S. to Lowest Since June
Confidence among U.S. consumers retreated last week to an almost two-month low as limited wage growth chipped away at perceptions about personal finances. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index fell to 36.3 in the period ended July 27, the lowest June 8, from 37.6 the week before. CONT. Nina Glinski, Bloomberg Read more »