Consumer sentiment climbed last week from a two-month low as Americans’ views on the economy were the least pessimistic in five years. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index increased to minus 29.4 in the period ended June 16 from minus 31.3 a week earlier. [cont.] Alexandria Baca, Bloomberg Read more »
Our Broken Social Contract
Many Americans think that their country has lost its way. But when they try to make sense of what’s happening, they disagree about whether the problem is essentially economic or whether it stems from cultural and moral decay. [cont.] Tom Edsall (Columbia U.), New York Times Read more »
Obama’s approval takes a hit over NSA leaks
President Obama’s approval rating is down in the aftermath of the NSA leaks. … This decline coincides with falling trust both in government and in Obama himself. Indeed, the biggest sign of trouble for Obama is not that his approval has fallen, but that it’s been accompanied by a similar […] Read more »
Obama Job Approval Holds Steady, Economic Views Improve
In a second term marked by a series of controversies and little legislative success, President Obama’s job approval rating has nonetheless remained fairly steady. Currently, 49% approve of the way Obama is handling his job as president while 43% disapprove. That is little changed from a month ago, before the […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Edges Downward
Americans’ confidence in the economy has declined slightly for two consecutive weeks after reaching its highest level in more than five years. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index is now -9, the lowest it has been in over a month. [cont.] Alyssa Brown, Gallup Read more »
Consumer sentiment slips in June
Consumer sentiment retreated this month after reaching its highest in nearly six years in May, a survey released on Friday showed, as household optimism about employment and housing faded slightly. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s preliminary reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment fell to 82.7 in June, below […] Read more »