The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased 5.0 points to 129.2 in April. The Present Situation Index increased by 5.3 points to 168.3. The Expectations Index, based on consumers short-term outlook for income increased 4.7 points to 103.0.
“Consumer Confidence partially rebounded in April, following March’s decline, but still remains below levels seen last Fall,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “The Present Situation Index, which had decreased sharply last month, improved in April, as did consumers’ short-term outlook. Overall, consumers expect the economy to continue growing at a solid pace into the summer months. These strong confidence levels should continue to support consumer spending in the near-term.”
Consumers’ outlook for the labor market was more favorable. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead increased from 16.8 percent to 17.2 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs decreased from 14.3 percent to 13.2 percent. Regarding their short-term income prospects, the percentage of consumers expecting an improvement was virtually unchanged at 21.5 percent, while the proportion expecting a decrease declined, from 7.4 percent to 7.0 percent.
Read the Conference Board release.
