More Americans See Economy Worsening Than at Any Time Since 2013
- Weekly comfort measure also fell, with all three gauges down
- Views on the buying climate dropped to weakest this year
Are Lower Gas Prices Fueling Consumer Savings?
More Americans in June saw the economy worsening than at any time in more than two and a half years, and a weekly gauge of consumer comfort also declined, according to figures from the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index released Thursday.
Although consumer spending is strengthening this quarter -- and the old saw has been to look at what households do rather than what they say or how they feel -- fragile views on the economic outlook threaten to temper the purchases that make up the largest part of the economy. There will need to be a pickup in employment to bolster sentiment, particularly as the presidential-campaign rhetoric is likely to turn even more contentious heading into the upcoming election.