Consumer Comfort in U.S. Drops on Rising Gasoline Costs

Consumer confidence fell last week to the lowest level in a month as surging gasoline prices soured Americans’ outlook about their finances and the economy.

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index dropped to minus 44.5 in the period to March 6, from the prior week’s minus 39.7, which was close to the highest in almost three years. Sentiment suffered the most among respondents who lacked a full-time job or any employment and those earning less than $50,000 a year.