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Consumer confidence missed big in August falling to 60.6. The reading is the lowest since November 2011. Meanwhile, July's reading was revised down to 65.4. "Consumers were more apprehensive about business and employment prospects, but more optimistic about their financial prospects despite rising inflation expectations," according to Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. "Consumers' assessment of current conditions was virtually unchanged, suggesting no significant pickup or deterioration in the pace of growth." But the number is still above 60, showing the report wasn't a complete disaster. Here are some highlights from the report: The percent saying...

And it's not as if it was all that terrific before now, either. Gallup's weekly survey of consumer confidence shows a steep 10-point drop from -16 at the end of May to -26 today: Gallup's Economic Confidence Index was -26 for the week ending June 24, down slightly from -24 the week before. Americans' confidence has now receded for four straight weeks, and is at the lowest point since late January.U.S. economic confidence last week was hardest hit June 19-21, when it fell to -28, but it bounced back to -25 over the weekend. The midweek slide may have resulted...

Sunday, June 24, 2012 The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures consumer confidence on a daily basis, dropped two more points on Sunday to 80.2. The Consumer Index is down five points from a week ago, down ten points from a month ago, and down 11 points from three months ago. The Consumer Index has dropped over 15 points since May 20th when it was at 95.4.

Sunday, June 24, 2012 The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures consumer confidence on a daily basis, dropped two more points on Sunday to 80.2. The Consumer Index is down five points from a week ago, down ten points from a month ago, and down 11 points from three months ago. The Consumer Index has dropped over 15 points since May 20th when it was at 95.4.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumers increased their debt in November by a seasonally adjusted $20.4 billion, the largest increase since November 2001, the Federal Reserve reported Monday. Monthly debt rose at a 10% annual rate in November, a much faster pace than had been expected by Wall Street economists.

Do you have information about a company that you think has violated federal consumer financial laws? Are you a current or former employee of such a company, an industry insider who knows about such a company, or even a competitor being unfairly undercut by such a company? If so, the CFPB wants to hear from you. Tipsters and whistleblowers are encouraged to send information about what they know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov. Current employees providing information about their own employers – known as “whistleblowers” – may be protected from being fired or from other employer retaliation for providing us information. To learn...

Today the NY Fed released its quarterly report on consumer credit, and in it is a wealth of charts on the nature of consumer debt. The charts did contain a red flag: For the first time since the recovery began, there were clear signs that in Q3, consumers started falling behind on paying their debts following several quarter of improvement. It's not across all categories, and it's not necessarily even dramatic in some cases, but it is notable for the reversal in the pattern.

The Personal Income and Outlays report for September covers individual income, consumption and savings. Overall the report shows bad news as once again, America's income is rising less than spending. Spending is up 2.2% while disposable income has only increased 0.2% from this time last year. Adjusted for inflation it's even worse, real disposable income dropped -0.1% while real spending increased +0.5% from August to September. Personal consumption expenditures, often called consumer spending, increased 0.6% and in real dollars, is up 0.5% for September. Real Personal Consumption Expenditures, or PCE, are about 70% of GDP. Real means chained to...

Asian brands continue to dominate Consumer Reports' 2011 Annual Auto Survey, sweeping the top nine spots. Toyota's American brand Scion leads the pack, followed by Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota. The brands scored strong on predicted reliability tests. Of the 91 Japanese models for which Consumer Reports has sufficient data, 87 (96 percent) were rated average or better. 24 Japanese models earned the highest rating.

The nonprofit organization said its consumer-confidence index declined to 39.8 in October from a September level of 46.4, which was upwardly revised from a prior estimate of 45.4. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected a reading of 46 for October; when the economy is growing at a good clip, confidence readings are at 90 and above... ...The Conference Board’s expectations barometer fell to 48.7 in October from 55.1 in September. The percentage of those who expected business conditions to be “better” in six months declined, while most expected the same conditions...

...The Labor Department said the consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% last month, pushing the increase over the past 12 months up to 3.9% from 3.8% in August... The core rate of inflation, meanwhile, rose a smaller 0.1% in September, keeping its 12-month increase at 2.0%. It was the smallest increase since March. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast consumer price index, which tracks inflation at the retail level, to rise by 0.3% in September. The core rate was expected to increase by 0.2%

...The preliminary sentiment reading for October hit 57.5, compared with 59.4 in September. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a slight rise, to 59.7, with volatility in the stock market offsetting lower gas prices...

A gauge of consumer sentiment declined in October, as expectations and views on current conditions fell... The preliminary sentiment reading for October hit 57.5, compared with 59.4 in September. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a slight rise, to 59.7, with volatility in the stock market offsetting lower gas prices. ... The sentiment reading, which covers how consumers view their personal finances as well as business and buying conditions, averaged about 87 in the year before the start of the most recent recession.

The final reading for September showed that sentiment rose to 59.4 from 55.7 in August, which was the lowest level since November 2008. A preliminary reading released earlier this month estimated a sentiment level of 57.8 for September. With stock volatility and weak employment maintaining downward pressure on sentiment, economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a slight rise to 57.6 in September.

As expectations slightly gained, consumer confidence ticked higher in September while remaining at low levels, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. The nonprofit organization said its consumer-confidence index rose to 45.4 in September from 45.2 in August, when it had plunged on worries about jobs and the U.S. debt, among other factors... Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected a September reading of 46.1...The August confidence reading was upwardly revised from a prior estimate of 44.5.

Consumer sentiment inched up in early September, but Americans remained gloomy about the future with a gauge of expectations falling to the lowest level since 1980, a survey released Friday showed. Getty Images The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment edged up to 57.8 from 55.7 the month before, which had been the lowest level since November 2008. It topped the median forecast of 56.5 among economists polled by Reuters. "Overall, the data indicate that a renewed downturn in consumer spending is as likely as not in the year ahead," survey director Richard...

The preliminary sentiment reading for September increased to 57.8 from 55.7 in August. The August reading was the lowest level since November 2008 with Washington’s protracted debt-ceiling negotiations taking a toll on consumers. “The mood of Americans remains dark so far this month, but not as dark as in August. Not that they can be blamed...,” wrote Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets... ...Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a reading of 57.3...

...The Labor Department on Thursday said consumer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in August. The increase was largely responsible for a 0.6% drop in the average hourly wages of U.S. workers, adjusted for inflation. It marked the biggest one-month decline in more than three years. Stripping out the volatile food and energy categories, the “core” rate of consumer price inflation rose a smaller 0.2%. Yet the core rate has also been rising steadily, hitting a 12-month level of 2.0% for the first time since November 2008.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumers increased their debt by a seasonally adjusted $12.0 billion, or at a 5.9% annual rate, in July, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday.

Stores are trying everything they can think of to disguise the fact that you're going to pay more for clothes this fall. Some are using less fabric and calling it the new look. Others are adding cheap stitching and trumpeting it as a redesign. And the buttons on that blouse? Chances are you're not going to think it's worth paying several dollars more for the shirt just to have them. Retailers are raising prices on merchandise an average of 10 percent across-the-board this fall in an effort to offset their rising costs for materials and labor. But merchants are worried...