Consumer Confidence Reaches a 28-Year High
NEW YORK, Dec. 30ÛÓA vibrant economy and plentiful jobs boosted Americans' confidence in their financial situation to a 28-year high this month despite the volatile stock market, a New York business research group said today.</br></br>The Conference Board said its index of consumer confidence jumped to 134.5 for December from a revised 128.1 in November. It was the highest reading since June 1969, when the index stood at 137.9.</br></br>ÛÏConsumers expect... favorable conditions to continue, and they're not picking up anything in the work force or in their communities or in business conditions that's signaling anything negative is in the works,Û said Lynn Franco, associate director of the Conference Buard's Consumer Research Center.</br></br>ÐÊNearly 41 percent of the 5,000 households surveyed rated jobs as ÛÏplentiful'Ûª this month, up from 36.4 percent last month. In addition, fewer respondents said jobs had become more difficult to obtain.</br></br>That positive sentiment lifted consumersÛª appraisals of both their current situation and their expectations for the future, Franco said. The present-conditions index climbed to 161.7 from 156.8, while the expectations measure rose to