What were the U.S. consumer confidence numbers for the month of August?
Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) — Confidence among U.S. consumers increased in August as consumers became less worried about the outlook for the labor market. The Conference Board’s confidence index rose to 54.1, more than forecast and the first gain in three months, from 47.4 in July, a report from the New York-based group showed today. The figure reached a record low of 25.3 in February. Consumers this quarter have benefited from government efforts such as the “cash-for-clunkers” plan and extended jobless benefits aimed at buttressing spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy. Nonetheless, an unemployment rate that’s projected to reach 10 percent by early 2010 and stagnant wages will make the gains difficult to maintain. “Consumers were more upbeat in their short-term outlook for both the economy and the job market in August, but only slightly more upbeat in their income expectations,” Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board’s consumer research center, said in a statement. “A
