The latest consumer confidence survey shows that Americans' optimism about the economy fell for the second month in a row in December. Confidence is now at its lowest point since July, putting the index almost 10 points below the 18-year peak it had set in October.
The percentage of consumers saying business conditions are “good” decreased from 42.0 percent to 37.2 percent, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” increased from 10.7 percent to 11.3 percent. Those claiming jobs are “plentiful” slipped from 46.8 percent to 46.2 percent.
The bigger worry is about 2019. The future expectations index — what Americans think the economy will look like six months from now — sank to 99.1 from 112.3. That’s the lowest reading for this figure since October 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment