Consumer confidence unexpectedly falls!
NEW YORK - September 29, 2009 - Amerikans' worries about job security flared up in September, causing a widely watched barometer of consumer confidence to dip unexpectedly and raising more concern about the upcoming holiday shopping season and providing a reality check for propagandists that suggest we are in an economic recovery.
The New York-based Conference Board, a private research group, said that its Consumer Confidence Index dipped to 53.1 in September, down from the revised 54.5 reading in August. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a reading of 57.
The index had enjoyed a three-month climb fueled by wishful thinking that the economy might be stabilizing. That followed a historic low in February of 25.3 and a bumpy road after June as rising unemployment has caught up with shoppers.
A reading above 90 means the economy is on solid footing. Above 100 signals strong growth.
While the confidence index has doubled from the historic low in February, it's still about half of the historic average and below the 61.4 level right before the collapse of Lehman Brothers last fall.
Paul Dales, U.S. economist at Capital Economics Ltd, said that despite a rally in the stock market, shoppers are fixating on the job market and declining wages.
“Falling employment and incomes are undermining confidence and are likely to continue to do so,” Dales wrote in a report released Tuesday. “Confidence is set to remain at fairly subdued levels,” he said, adding that consequently consumer spending will remain modest.
The New York-based Conference Board, a private research group, said that its Consumer Confidence Index dipped to 53.1 in September, down from the revised 54.5 reading in August. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a reading of 57.
The index had enjoyed a three-month climb fueled by wishful thinking that the economy might be stabilizing. That followed a historic low in February of 25.3 and a bumpy road after June as rising unemployment has caught up with shoppers.
A reading above 90 means the economy is on solid footing. Above 100 signals strong growth.
While the confidence index has doubled from the historic low in February, it's still about half of the historic average and below the 61.4 level right before the collapse of Lehman Brothers last fall.
Paul Dales, U.S. economist at Capital Economics Ltd, said that despite a rally in the stock market, shoppers are fixating on the job market and declining wages.
“Falling employment and incomes are undermining confidence and are likely to continue to do so,” Dales wrote in a report released Tuesday. “Confidence is set to remain at fairly subdued levels,” he said, adding that consequently consumer spending will remain modest.
