Content about Consumer Confidence Index

After four months of declining numbers, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index improved in July to 65.9, up from 62.7 in June.

A year ago, the July 2011 Consumer Confidence Index stood at 59.2.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in February, pulled back slightly in March. The Index now stands at 70.2 (1985=100), down from 71.6 in February. The Present Situation Index, however, increased to 51.0 from 46.4. The Expectations Index declined to 83.0 from 88.4 in February.

An index of consumer sentiment rose for the fourth month in a row, gaining 5.8 points and reaching its highest level since last June. The Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index hit 69.9 points in December, and researchers pointed to falling gasoline prices, mildly better employment prospects, an uptick in the stock market and real income growth. 

A report released Friday by Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan found that consumer confidence in the United States rose unexpectedly in October, a signal that an economic recovery process may still be intact.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment climbed to 60.9 from 59.4 in September, beating Bloomberg News economists’ projections of a drop to 58.

The preliminary reading for the month was 57.5.

Siding and roofing were the areas that saw the biggest year-over-year percentage gains in planned home improvement activity, according to the latest tally from the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI). 


The most common planned project? Lawns, with a 14% incidence rate, and landscaping/fencing, with a 12.1% rate.


These gainers give a clear indication that the consumer’s home improvement thoughts are gravitating toward the outdoors and the home exterior.


As the latest Consumer Confidence Index scored a slight uptick (see Dashboard, page 42), the latest research from the Home Improvement Research Institute showed a boost in the expected amount of spending on projects around the home. 


The anticipated cost of planned home improvement projects in June increased 5% to an average of $517 per project, according to the latest monthly update from HIRI.


The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in May, decreased again in June. The Index now stands at 58.5 (1985=100), down from 61.7 in May. The Present Situation Index decreased to 37.6 from 39.3. The Expectations Index declined to 72.4 from 76.7 last month.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased slightly to 65.4 in April, up from 63.8 in March, and up from 57.7 in April 2010.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index improved to a reading of 70.4, up from 64.8 in January. 

The February reading is at a three-year high -- the highest since February 2008, when the index was at 76.4.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had dipped in December, increased in January. The Index now stands at 60.6 (1985=100), up from 53.3 in December. The Present Situation Index improved to 31.0 from 24.9. The Expectations Index increased to 80.3 from 72.3 last month.

Gas prices climbed above the $3.00 per gallon mark, and the Consumer Confidence Index declined to 52.5. But for the third week in a row, all 10 stocks on the Home Channel Roundup are up over both last year and last month.