U.S. Consumer Comfort Drops to an 11-Week Low

Americans’ confidence declined for the fifth time in six weeks as the impact of two major hurricanes continued to weigh on consumer attitudes in the affected regions, Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index figures showed Thursday.

The index has lost half the gains it made from early July through late August, when Hurricane Harvey started to batter the Gulf Coast of Texas. Gasoline prices surged as refineries closed, and some homes and businesses were destroyed, leading to a deterioration in sentiment about personal finances and the buying climate. Both are at their lowest levels since early this year.