U.S. Consumer Sentiment Up More Than Expected in April

U.S. consumer views on current and near-term conditions surged in April, rising to a nine-month high, according to Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s final April reading on the overall index of consumer sentiment. April’s reading came in at 84.1, beating an expectation of 83.0 in a Reuters survey and up from 80.0 registered in March. “Perhaps the more important question is whether consumer confidence will show greater resistance to the backslides that have repeatedly occurred in the past few years,” says Reuters’ Richard Curtin. In addition, the survey’s barometer of current economic conditions rose to 98.7, the highest reading since July 2007, and up from 95.7 in March. Finally, the survey’s five-to-10 year inflation outlook went unchanged from last month’s 2.9 percent mark.

[divide]

From “U.S. Consumer Sentiment Up More Than Expected in April”
Reuters (04/25/14) Campos, Rodrigo