La American consumer confidence it dates back to the highest since 2008. In May, the index drawn up by the Conference Board, a private research group, rose to 76,2 points, from 69 in April. The figure is higher than the estimates of analysts, who had expected a reading of 72 points. The component that measures expectations over the next six months rose from 74,3 to 82,4 points, the highest since October 2012 (it stood at 63,7 points in March). The score on the current situation increased from 61 to 66,7 points, the highest since May 2008.
“Confidence is growing month on month, which suggests that it could regain momentum and recover what it lost to the fiscal cliff, the seizure and the increase in payroll withdrawals,” said Lynn Franco, director of the research center of the Conference Board which draws up the index.
As for the labor market prospects in six months, 16,8% of those interviewed think there will be more jobs (up from 14,3% last month), while 19,7% think there will be more less (against 21,8% in April). Furthermore, 10,8% of consumers think that there are "many jobs available", up from 9,7% in April, while 36,1% believe that it is "difficult" to find a job, against 36,9, XNUMX% last month.
