U.S. Consumer Confidence at Second-Highest Level Since 2000
A shopper carries an Abercrombie & Fitch Co. bag while walking on Market Street in San Francisco, California, on Aug. 22, 2017.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A pickup in consumer confidence to the second-highest level since late 2000 provide a basis for steady gains in spending, according to figures Tuesday from the New York-based Conference Board.
Americans have had much to lift their moods: optimism about the economy, steady hiring and unemployment at a 16-year low, in addition to contained inflation, home-price appreciation and stock-market gains. Improving consumer sentiment also bodes well for growth in household spending, the biggest part of the economy. The results reflect survey responses through Aug. 16, prior to Hurricane Harvey’s landfall in Texas.