(Bloomberg) -- U.S. consumer sentiment held near a 17-year high last week as households grew more upbeat about their finances despite a sell-off in equities tied to concerns about a trade war, the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index showed Thursday.
Highlights of Consumer Comfort (Week Ended March 25) |
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Key Takeaways
For the past six weeks, the gauge of comfort has been within 0.8 point of its highest level since February 2001. While stock-market volatility may be leaving consumers a bit less upbeat about the state of the economy, a solid job market and bigger after-tax incomes are boosting sentiment about personal finances. Respondents with incomes of less than $50,000 a year were more upbeat than the prior week, while comfort fell for a sixth week among those earning more than $100,000, an indication that weaker stock prices are taking a toll on confidence of wealthier Americans.
Other Details
- Sentiment among men rose for the second week, while declining among women
- Comfort index of single Americans was the highest since June 2002; near 17-year high among those who are married
- Confidence rose among Republicans and fell among Democrats; gap favoring Republicans is widest since December 2007, while political independents’ comfort strongest since February 2001
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