Consumer sentiment index improves in April
April 13, 2017
The University of Michigan said today that its preliminary Consumer Sentiment Index for April edged higher.
The University of Michigan said today that its preliminary Consumer Sentiment Index for April edged higher.
Economy watchers who became accustomed to seeing monthly U.S. job gains near or above 200,000 were probably blindsided by the Labor Department’s report that 98,000 jobs were added in March — the fewest since last May.
Americans are earning more money, but they weren’t doing a lot of mid-winter spending, and one reason may have been that income tax refund checks from Uncle Sam were slow to arrive.
The Conference Board said today that its Consumer Confidence Index rose sharply in March.
The U.S. housing market continues to show signs of a robust 2017, a development that dovetails nicely with recent monthly surveys that show consumer confidence is at a high level.
An ‘unprecedented’ political division looms behind otherwise positive yardsticks, economists say
The calendar was crowded last week with reports on everything from retail sales and housing starts to inflation and interest rates, but two reports released Friday were among the best snapshots so far of the economy two months into the new Trump administration.
The headline news in the Labor Department’s February employment report — 235,000 new jobs and a 4.7 percent unemployment rate — cheered economy watchers, but it was not the only positive trend to be found among the fresh figures.
The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates only twice in the last decade, but recent remarks from Fed chairman Janet Yellen and some of her colleagues have convinced economists and the financial markets that an increase is likely to come next week.
As a key indicator of U.S. consumer confidence continues to reflect the nation’s partisan politics, economy watchers would be wise to follow the money, as in what Americans are willing to buy and how much they’re paying for it.
The University of Michigan said today that its preliminary Consumer Sentiment Index for April edged higher.
Economy watchers who became accustomed to seeing monthly U.S. job gains near or above 200,000 were probably blindsided by the Labor Department’s report that 98,000 jobs were added in March — the fewest since last May.
Americans are earning more money, but they weren’t doing a lot of mid-winter spending, and one reason may have been that income tax refund checks from Uncle Sam were slow to arrive.
The Conference Board said today that its Consumer Confidence Index rose sharply in March.
The U.S. housing market continues to show signs of a robust 2017, a development that dovetails nicely with recent monthly surveys that show consumer confidence is at a high level.
An ‘unprecedented’ political division looms behind otherwise positive yardsticks, economists say
The calendar was crowded last week with reports on everything from retail sales and housing starts to inflation and interest rates, but two reports released Friday were among the best snapshots so far of the economy two months into the new Trump administration.
The headline news in the Labor Department’s February employment report — 235,000 new jobs and a 4.7 percent unemployment rate — cheered economy watchers, but it was not the only positive trend to be found among the fresh figures.
The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates only twice in the last decade, but recent remarks from Fed chairman Janet Yellen and some of her colleagues have convinced economists and the financial markets that an increase is likely to come next week.
As a key indicator of U.S. consumer confidence continues to reflect the nation’s partisan politics, economy watchers would be wise to follow the money, as in what Americans are willing to buy and how much they’re paying for it.
