consumer confidence index

Americans are gaining faith that the economy is on the upswing.

Shoppers' worries about juggling rising gas and food prices and other household costs pushed the Consumer Confidence Index down sharply in March.

Americans are feeling more chipper about the economy than they have in three years.

The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 70.4 this month, up from 64.8 in January, as Americans expressed more optimism about their income prospects and the direction the economy is headed, a private research group reported Tuesday.

It's the strongest reading since the early days of the most severe recession the U.S. has seen since the 1930s.

The 2010 holiday season was good for retailers in the United States as Americans are back on a shopping spree, often buying what they don’t really need, and foremost what they can’t afford unless they put themselves further in debt.

Despite the recession, consumerism is still America’s favorite addiction. But strangely enough, while consumer spending was up to a level similar than the one before the global financial meltdown of 2008, the Consumer Confidence Index fell in December, and is currently scoring at a very low 50 percent.

Notable ETF Movers of the Day : Gainers

• iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (NYSE: VXX) up 2.8% to $27.57.
  
  Shares of the CBOE VIX turned upward sharply today after results from the consumer confidence index came out [see below].
• PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish (NYSE: UUP) up 0.42% to $23.78.
  
  Investors are returning to the currency as confidence in the U.S. recovery is yet again put on amber alert following worse than expected results of the consumer confidence index.

Receders

• SPDRs (NYSE: SPY) down 1.27% to $109.75.

Consumer sentiment rose more than expected in August, an indication that Americans’ pessimism about the economy may be lifting.

NEW YORK -- Americans - whose hope for the economy had been rising since March - unexpectedly lost faith this month, pushing down a widely watched barometer.The New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 49.3, down from its revised May level of 54.8.Because consumer spending accounts for more than ...

The Conference Board's U.S. consumer confidence index fell in June to 49.3 from a downwardly revised 54.8 in May, the private business research group reported on Tuesday.