Confidence Drops on Jobs
The Consumer Confidence Index fell to 96.8 in September from 98.7 in August, according to the Conference Board, which compiles the index. This marks the second month in a row the index has declined. The Conference Board’s Present Situation Index also fell to 95.5 in September from 100.7 the month before. And the Expectations Index edged up slightly to 97.6 from 97.3 in August. The New York–based research company also found that consumers are less confident about the job market. Those describing the number of available jobs as “plentiful” fell to 16.8 in September from 18.5 the month before, and consumers who described employment as “hard to get” increased to 28.3 percent in September from 26 percent in August. Still, the overall outlook is optimistic, according to the Board. Consumers anticipating improved conditions during the next six months rose to 21.4 percent from 20.2 in August.
