Consumer Confidence

NEW YORK - Consumer confidence remained weak in September after dropping to a post-recession low in August. That has left economists to wonder what will get Americans feeling good about the economy. Economists say the problem is that not much has changed. The stock market is still volatile. Worries about the global economy persist. And perhaps worst of all, jobs are still scarce. "We are well below where we should be, and that's because the unemployment situation is so bad," said Paul Dales, senior US economist at Capital Economics.

A study shows German consumers remain cautiously confident in Europe's largest economy despite uncertainty in the wider 17-nation eurozone. The GfK institute's forward-looking survey released Friday shows consumer confidence at 5.7 points for June, the same level as in May. The survey shows that a drop in income expectations was offset by a rise in optimism about the future and willingness to buy. GfK says "despite recessionary trends...

Consumer confidence in Massachusetts fell for the second straight quarter as households remain worried about jobs and the strength of the economic recovery, a research firm reported yesterday. Boston-based Mass Insight Corp.'s quarterly index of consumer confidence dropped in both the assessment of current conditions and expectations for the future. A "toxic mix" of a weak economy, the political stalemate in Washington, and global concerns about European economic troubles is having a dampening effect on how Massachusetts residents feel about the current and future state of the economy, said Mass...

Stocks fell as a slump in banks driven by JPMorgan Chase's $2 billion trading loss overshadowed a rise in a gauge of consumer confidence in May, led by gains among upper-income Americans that may contribute to a pickup in spending. And concern about Europe's debt grew as the leader of Greece's biggest antibailout party refused to join a unity government.

NEW YORK -- Consumers' renewed worries about job prospects led to a bigger-than-expected drop in confidence in August and provided more evidence of the fragility of the economic expansion. The consumer confidence index, which had been rising since April, dropped to 98.2 from a revised reading of 105.7 in July, according to a report yesterday from the Conference Board, a private research group. The reading was well below the 103.5 analysts expected, and was the lowest since May, when it registered 93.1.

NEW YORK - Americans' confidence in the economy held steady in April in spite of rising job cuts and falling home values. The Conference Board, a private research group, said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index is at 69.2, down slightly from a revised 69.5 in March. Economists were expecting a reading of 70, according to a FactSet poll of analysts. The current level is below February's 71.6, the highest level it has been in about a year. Consumer confidence is widely watched because consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.

WASHINGTON - Claims for unemployment benefits declined last week to the lowest level in a month, easing concern that the US labor market is faltering. First-time claims dropped by 1,000 to 367,000 in the period ended May 5, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Other reports showed that a gauge of consumer confidence declined to a three-month low, and the trade deficit widened on rising demand for imports from oil to autos. Claims are returning to levels reached in February and March, indicating a surge last month probably reflected difficulty in adjusting the data for an Easter...

US stocks fell Friday as consumer confidence cooled in April. Also weighing on indexes was a report that China's growth slowed to the least in three years and the cost of insuring against a Spanish default rose to a record. Concern about the global financial system drove banks lower even after JPMorgan and Wells Fargo reported earnings that beat estimates.

More people sought unemployment benefits last week, pushing the number of applicants to the highest level in two months. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications jumped 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 380,000. The previous week's figures were also revised higher. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose to 368,500. After steadily declining since last fall, applications have leveled off in recent weeks. The four-week average is essentially unchanged over the past two months.

WASHINGTON - US consumers boosted their spending in February by the most in seven months, raising expectations for stronger growth at the start of the year. Americans spent more even as their income barely grew. To make up the difference, many saved less. Consumer spending rose 0.8 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Friday. The biggest increase since July coincided with the best three-month hiring stretch in two years. The jump in consumer spending helped Wall Street close out its best first quarter since 1998.

NEW YORK - Americans are holding a rosier view of the US economy as they focus on the good in a flood of mixed economic news. Gasoline prices are up, but the stock market is, too. Home prices are down, but so is unemployment. "The resilience suggests that jobs remain a more important concern for consumers than gasoline prices," said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities. Gas prices have risen almost every day this month, yet the Consumer Confidence Index for March held nearly steady at 70.2, according to the Conference Board, the...