When Barack Obama took office four years ago, reducing the budget deficit was a middle-tier item on the public’s agenda. Only about half of Americans (53%) viewed it as a top policy priority in January 2009, placing it ninth on a list of 20 policy goals. But as Obama begins […] Read more »
Consumer Comfort Falls Amid Mounting Concern Over U.S. Economy
Consumer confidence fell last week to its lowest level in more than three months as concern about the U.S. economy mounted. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index declined to minus 36.4 in the seven days ended Jan. 20, the weakest since early October, from minus 35.5 the prior period. The measure […] Read more »
U.S. Budget Discord Is Top Threat to Global Economy in Poll
Global investors say the state of the U.S. government’s finances is the greatest risk to the world economy and almost half are curbing their investments in response to continuing budget battles, a Bloomberg poll shows. … Even with stocks at a five-year high, almost half of investors — 47 percent […] Read more »
Consumer sentiment at year low; fiscal debate weighs
Consumer sentiment unexpectedly deteriorated for a second straight month to its lowest in over a year in January, with many consumers citing fallout from the recent “fiscal cliff” debate in Washington, a survey released on Friday showed. … The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s preliminary reading on the overall index of […] Read more »
Public lowers expectations heading into Obama’s 2nd term
As President Barack Obama is set to begin his second term next week, he finds himself with a job-approval rating above 50 percent and with majorities supporting his general direction on gun control and immigration, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. But he also confronts an American […] Read more »
Most see Obama as ‘strong leader,’ say deal on debt ceiling does not require cuts
President Obama heads into his second term with political momentum on his side, and leads congressional Republicans when it comes to dealing with the country’s debt limit according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. More Americans now approve of the way Obama is doing his job than at any […] Read more »