Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index averaged -17 in March, essentially the same as the -16 measured in January and February. CONT. Rebecca Riffkin, Gallup Read more »
Consumer confidence in March survives harsh winter
Consumer confidence has remained largely unchanged in the past three months despite the hard winter as well as a severe drought. Consumer finances were just as strong in March as in December 2013, and more importantly, consumers viewed their financial prospects for the year ahead much more favorably in March […] Read more »
Consumer Sentiment in the U.S. Declines to a Seven-Week Low
Consumer confidence in the U.S. declined to the lowest level in seven weeks as Americans turned more pessimistic about the economy. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index fell for a second week, to minus 31.5 in the period ended March 23 from minus 29. CONT. Katherine Peralta, Bloomberg Read more »
How Strong Will the Anti-Democratic Backlash Be?
Why isn’t the Republican Party paying a heavy price for its dependence on a shrinking white electorate, its rejection of immigration reform and its “just say no” legislative strategy? … Going largely unmentioned in most analyses is the inability of the Obama administration to markedly improve the economy, which could […] Read more »
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Rebounds in March
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had decreased in February, improved in March. The Index now stands at 82.3 (1985=100), up from 78.3 in February. The Present Situation Index edged down to 80.4 from 81.0, while the Expectations Index increased to 83.5 from 76.5. CONT. The Conference Board Read more »
Will Americans Ever See the 1980s and Late 1990s Again?
Two periods of time in recent decades have marked a “boom” in the nation’s economic cycle. Those were the “Morning in America” Reagan years and the dot-com boom of the later Clinton years. … The last five or so years — within the recent memory of almost everyone now reading […] Read more »