Tag Archives: Consumer Sentiment

The index showed that four of the six components questioned posted net positive gains. The Good Time to Sell component increased 13 points in September compared to the prior month, with 52 percent indicating that it was a good time to sell, up five percentage points from last month.

According to the survey, of the three in five Americans that believe the housing crisis is not over, 41 percent believe we are “still in the middle” of the housing crisis, while 20 percent feel “the worst is yet to come.” This is an improvement from 2014 where 70 percent of Americans felt the housing crisis has not passed, while 77 percent felt the same in 2013.

April's Sentiment Index reading of 95.9 was the second-highest since 2007, second only to January 2015. Curtin said despite the large decline in the index for May, consumers' attitudes toward personal finances and spending habits have stayed positive.

Consumer sentiment toward the economy took a slight step backward in April, with the percentage of respondents who said the economy is on the right track fell by one percentage point down to 42 percent. Meanwhile, the share who said the economy is on the wrong track increased by one percentage point up to 49 percent.

The March employment summary released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed only 126,000 jobs added for the month, which was less than half of the monthly average (266,000) for the 12 previous months, may have played a role in the lack of growth in consumer optimism. That same BLS March employment summary reported an average wage gain of just 2.1 percent year-over-year up to $24.86 per hour.

While consumers remained positive toward homebuying conditions in the latest survey, the reason for the positive outlook has shifted – prospective homebuyers are now dependent on low mortgage rates as opposed to low home prices. In Q1 2015 surveys, the percentage of consumers citing low home prices was at its lowest level since 2006, while the percentage of consumers who cited low mortgage rates was at a 10-year high.

While Fannie Mae's February 2015 Economic Outlook released on Thursday predicted a boost for housing this year based on strong economic growth, consumers may not be quite convinced, based on two consumer sentiment indices released this week.

According to the group conducting the confidence survey, January's increase—which lifted the index to its highest level since 2004—was driven by an improvement in personal finances, with more consumers reporting increases in household income than any time in the past decade. They're also more optimistic about the labor outlook as job growth continues on a steady track.

Consumer sentiment gained another five points in an early December measure, putting confidence levels at a near eight-year high.

Consumer sentiment in the United States jumped more than two points in a preliminary November estimate, beating economic forecasts and hitting a more than seven-year high.