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Sixteen-point drop to -35 is sharpest in any month since Gallup Daily tracking began... Americans' confidence in the U.S. economy sank for the month of October amid the partial U.S. government shutdown and partisan bickering over the federal debt limit.....

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Consumer confidence unexpectedly slumped in October to the lowest level since March 2009, when the U.S. economy was in a recession, as Americans' outlooks for employment and incomes soured. The Conference Board's sentiment index decreased to 39.8 from a revised 46.4 reading in September, figures from the New York-based private research group showed today. This month's reading was less than the most pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg News survey in which the median projection was 46. Limited job availability, deteriorating home values and the threat of a European debt default are weighing on sentiment. A drop...

Credit card users are so focused on keeping their accounts in good standing that they've driven the rate of late payments down to its lowest level in 17 years. The national credit card delinquency rate, or rate of payments 90 days or more past due, fell to 0.60% in the second quarter, down from 0.92% a year ago. That's the lowest rate since 1994, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion. Delinquencies were expected to drop, but the improvement in that April to June period was faster than forecast. And the improved payment habits came despite increased use of credit cards,...

A double-dip in home prices, pessimistic consumers and a slowdown in regional manufacturing raised concerns on Tuesday that the economy's soft patch could become protracted. "The question is, 'Is the softer data we're seeing transitory, or is it likely to persist throughout the remainder of 2011?' Right now, that's an open question that investors are trying to figure out," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial in Westport, Connecticut.The U.S. economy grew at a tepid 1.8 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, and these fresh signs suggest the recovery is still struggling to...

It may be too early to get a definitive answer on this question, but we wanted to toss out the fact that something isn't adding up regarding the consumer in April. According to the Conference Board, consumer confidence actually improved in April. Fine. But we've now got two surveys -- one from the Washington Post, and one form the New York Times -- confirming a sharp jump in worry about the direction of the economy. It seems very unlikely that consumer confidence could improve at the same time there's been a big jump in overall concern about the economy, owing...

Dick Morris commentary on the state of the American economy. Video at link.

All the economic numbers being thrown around as the year draws to a close are bewildering. Some are positive, some are negative, but for many this week it is hard to get an overall feel for how well the economy is doing. On the upside, GDP is rising, though slowly, and economists have raised their forecasts for next year's economic growth. Retail sales this holiday season increased by 5.5 percent over last year. Inflation has remained low, just 1.1 percent over the last year. And the stock market has rebounded. Yet, there are major negatives. Most seriously, the very high...

<p>U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly deteriorated in December, hurt by increasing worries about the jobs market, according to a private report released on Tuesday.</p> <p>The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes slipped to 52.5 in December from an upwardly revised 54.3 in November.</p>

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Consumer confidence in the economy remains "quite grim," with a monthly gauge falling to 48.5 in September, hitting the lowest level since February, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. "September's pull-back in confidence was due to less favorable business and labor market conditions, coupled with a more pessimistic short-term outlook," said Lynn Franco, director of Conference Board's consumer research center, in a statement. "With so few expecting conditions to improve in the near term, the pace of economic growth is not likely to pick up in the coming months."

How has Joe Biden’s “Recovery Summer” public-relations campaign worked so far? We’re halfway through summer, and consumers have definitely reacted … but not in the way Biden and Barack Obama planned. Confidence has dropped again, below analysts’ expectations: Americans’ confidence in the economy eroded further in July amid worries about a job market that has proven stubbornly stagnant. The report raised concerns about the overall economy and the back-to-school season.The Conference Board, a private research group, said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index slipped to 50.4 in July, down from the revised 54.3 in June. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters...

Views of the country's short- and long-term economic future are gloomier these days than they have been at any time since President Obama took office in January of last year. Forty-two percent (42%) of American adults now expect the U.S. economy to be weaker in one year’s time, up three points from January and the highest level found in 14 months of regular tracking on the question, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Thirty-six percent (36%) believe the economy will be stronger in a year, down two points from last month. That’s the lowest level of confidence...

“Surprise Drop in Consumer Confidence” declare the headlines. Who is it that is surprised? Neither me nor the millions of other rational observers of the present shambles that is supposed to pass for an economic revival plan. Which Americans would make a major investment in a car or appliance or home improvement when 30% of their wealth has disappeared and they are worried about whether they will have a job next year? Middle America is watching a congress that wants to tax their health care and pass an energy bill that will increase the cost of essentially everything they must...

U.S. consumers turned decidedly more pessimistic in October, according to a report released Tuesday, with households increasingly worried about job prospects. The Conference Board, a private research group, said its monthly Consumer Confidence Index fell to 47.7 this month, from a revised 53.4 in September, which was originally reported as 53.1. The current month's reading was well below economists' projections of 53.2, according to a survey conducted by Dow Jones Newswires. The downturn in consumer confidence at this stage of the recovery is to be expected, as it has occurred in previous recoveries (please see chart below), and does not...

U.S. consumer confidence fell to its lowest in four months in August on worries over high unemployment and dismal personal finances, though the mood managed to improve from earlier this month, a survey showed on Friday.

Markets indices were up slightly yesterday. Meanwhile, there is some breaking economic data to report. The Consumer Price Index came in flat in July, as expected. U.S. consumer prices were flat in July versus June as expected, but fell over the past 12 months by the most since 1950, government data showed on Friday.

As Americans lose more confidence in the economy, retailers who are already hurting may be facing a gloomy back-to-school shopping season. The worries about the job market is making them more cautious about spending money. This means fewer jobs for those hoping to pick up at least part time work in the retail market.

Ahem !!, Excuse me Mr. President are you listening? Obviously he isn't. The latest set of Rasmussen Polls report that the public is losing confidence in President Obama, they think that the government is doing too much, and their confidence in the economy is falling quickly. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows only 30% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8. This is a drop of 16 points in the past month....

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- A reading on U.S. consumer confidence relapsed in June, falling to 49.3 from a slightly downwardly revised 54.8 in May, as worries grew about jobs and the economy, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. Following a large confidence jump in May, consumers grew more pessimistic in June about their present and future. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected the June result to hit 55.5, continuing recent confidence gains. "On balance, this was a disappointing report as it has clearly bucked the trend of improving consumer sentiments in the past few months," wrote Millan L. B. Mulraine, economics strategist...

Rasmussen Consumer Index Investor Confidence Falls Four Points to 60.0 The Rasmussen Investor Index fell four points on Tuesday to 60.0. That's the lowest level of investor confidence in over a month and barely above the all-time low of 58.5 measured in mid-December. The Investor Index is down eight points over the past week, down six points over the past month and down forty-six points over the past year. After falling for five straight days, the Rasmussen Consumer Index stabilized on Tuesday at 59.4. The Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, is down...

(S)ince mid-October, Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows consumer pessimism easing slightly -- the percentage rating the economy "poor" is down 5 points and the percentage saying it is "getting worse" is down 4 points.