Consumer Confidence in U.S. Decreases More Than Forecast

Confidence among U.S. consumers declined more than forecast in December as the budget debate in Washington soured Americans’ outlook for the economy.

The Conference Board’s index of sentiment fell to 65.1 from a revised 71.5 reading the prior month, figures from the New York-based private research group showed today. The gauge was projected to fall to 70, according to the Bloomberg survey median.