Consumer Confidence up in December

December 26, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on December 27, 2011

The Conference Board reported Tuesday that the Consumer Confidence Index rose to 64.5 in December, its highest level since April.

It's also a considerable improvement from November's revised figure of 55.2.

"Consumers are more optimistic that business conditions, employment prospects and their financial situations will continue to get better," said Lynn Franco, director of the board's consumer research center, but remained cautious. "While consumers are ending the year in a somewhat more upbeat mood, it's too soon to tell if this is a rebound from earlier declines or a sustainable shift in attitudes."

The present situation index was up 46.7 from 38.3, and the future expectations index gained 10 points to hit 76.4. The percentage of people who expect more jobs to be available in coming months rose to 13.3 percent from 12.4 percent.