Consumer Confidence Rebounds Over the Past Month

[tobius]

By Jeannine Aversa Associated Press Writer
Published: Mar 5, 2004

The AP-Ipsos consumer confidence index rose to 97.7 this week. That's an improvement from a reading of 91.7 in early February when consumer confidence took a hit, weighed down particularly by concerns about economic conditions down the road.

The early March reading of 97.7, when compared to the same month a year ago, highlights just how far consumers have come. A year ago, as the war in Iraq broke out, consumer confidence sank to 61.4, the lowest reading recorded since Ipsos started the index in January 2002. The AP-Ipsos confidence index is benchmarked to a 100 reading. ...<snip>
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGABFIM0GRD.html
Consumers may be feeling better in part because they have gotten a tax refund or they anticipate getting one, Zandi suggested. Improvements in the stock market also may be a factor, other economists said. ....>snip>

Slow job growth has been a sore spot for President Bush as Democrats have seized upon it this election year as evidence of what they believe to be Bush's poor handling of the economy.

But Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is optimistic that job growth, which has been poking along, will speed up. "We could get a pop in employment at any time," Greenspan said last week.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

1. More media-supported NeoCon propaganda...

Look around you...do you see any sign of the alleged "consumer confidence" of which the article speaks?

[dbt]

2. Can you smell what the Regime is cooking?

Yeah, the numbers. Again.

:freak:
dbt

[snippy]

3. This is the sixth time in the last 12 months this index has jumped more

than 6 points and it still is below where it was 2 years ago. Comparing it to where it was one year ago is foolish or dishonest or both because of the lead up to the Bush invasion of Iraq last year.

[UpInArms]

4. this report is not on the

economic calendar for the markets -

with that in mind, I would give it as much credibility as -- well -- nothing, dust, dooda, zippo, nada.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. I guess I don't fully understand how this is measured.

I guess that the fact that the media street walkers keep parroting the so called recovery. Probably has had some effect in people's perception.

[snippy]

6. It is just a poll with the results converted to an "index" created by the

polling company. This index is based on 100 equaling the average.

[Dogmudgeon]

7. It's gonna tank now

Less than 30 minutes ago, the employment report was released.

Only 21,000 new non-farm jobs. They expected about 125,00.

The Futures market immediately lost 1%; gold rose 1.5% and the Dollar lost more than a penny against the Euro.

IN FIFTEEN MINUTES.

Sure, I'm getting a big-assed tax refund. It will be going toward reducing my bigger-assed pile of debt.

--bkl
(edited to correct bad math)