Content about Consumer Confidence

Since the beginning of the economic downturn, forecasts on housing starts, real estate sales and remodeling have gathered like a convention of fortune tellers. But only one crystal ball is focused solely on the home improvement industry and how consumers are spending — or not spending — money on their homes.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index declined to its lowest level since November 2011, hitting a reading of 60.6 in August.

The Consumer Confidence Index fell in August to 60.6, down from a revised 65.4 in July. The latest figure marks the lowest index reading since November 2011.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined slightly in April, fell further in May. The Index now stands at 64.9 (1985=100), down from 68.7 in April. The Expectations Index declined to 77.6 from 80.4, while the Present Situation Index decreased to 45.9 from 51.2 last month.

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.

There is an old curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Unfortunately for the economy, the last several years have been “interesting times.” Home improvement has weathered this storm better than some areas (notably new-home construction), but the industry has clearly been impacted. Twice a year the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) publishes a detailed size-of-market forecast for home improvement product sales.

Consumer research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group shows consumers are feeling a little better about the economy, but not as good as they felt last year at this time.

The November 2011 NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator, a measure of consumer confidence, increased slightly to an index reading of 37.4, on a scale of 0 -- "very concerned" -- to 100 -- "very confident."

The November reading is up from 35.9 in October. A year ago, the perception indicator index was at 40.5.

The Conference Board reported Tuesday morning that its Consumer Confidence Index increased to 56.0 in November, up from 40.9 in October.

That's not the only metric improving. The Expectations Index rose to 67.8 from 50.0, and the Present Situation Index increased to 38.3 from 27.1. 

It's certainly not partying like 1985 -- when the Index was set at 100. But it's an improvement welcomed by Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. 

There were no mixed signals this time from the NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator. October was down from the previous month, and down ever more from the previous year.

Consumer research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group showed that consumers are increasingly concerned about the economy. The October 2011 NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator, a measure of consumer confidence, decreased slightly to an index reading of 35.9, on a scale of 0 -- "very concerned" -- to 100 -- "very confident."

The national average price for a gallon of regular gas dropped about a dime compared with a week ago. Consumer confidence increased ever so slightly.

Consumer confidence continues to plod along in the mid-forties.

Data released Tuesday morning by the New York City-based Conference Board showed the Consumer Confidence Index for the month of September at 45.4, up slightly from an upwardly revised 45.2 reading in August. 

Consumer research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group shows a sharp rise in concern over the economy in August.

The August 2011 NPD U.S. Economic Perception Indicator, a measure of consumer confidence, is down slightly to an index reading of 35.1 on a scale of 0 -- "very concerned" -- to 100 -- "very confident."

The August reading is down from 39.6 in July. A year ago, the perception indicator index was at 40.3.  

After an uptick in July, the Consumer Confidence Index issued by The Conference Board fell to 44.5, down from a downwardly revised 59.2 reading in July. 

The August figure is the lowest since April 2009 when the index was 40.8.