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Can Use Consumer Confidence Rises
in January
By ADAM GELLER
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 27, 2004; 1:58 PM NEW YORK - A closely watched gauge
of consumer sentiment rose in January, with Americans' increasing confidence in
the economy tempered only by doubts about jobs, an industry group reported Tuesday.
The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index rose to 96.8, the highest
level since mid-2002, following a dip in December to a revised reading of 91.7.
The rise in the index, while sizable, was smaller than the expectations
of analysts, who had forecast a reading of 99.0. The index was last this high
in July 2002 when it reached 97.4. "Growing optimism about the overall
health of the economy continues to bolster consumers' short-term outlook," said
Lynn Franco, research director for the New York-based group. "But consumers' assessment
of current conditions, which strongly hinges on improvements in the labor market,
remains both weak and volatile." The confidence reading is followed closely
because consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of the economy. Consumers who
feel more upbeat about the economy are likely to spend more, while those who remain
pessimistic may curb their purchases. Analysts called the January rise
in the confidence measure encouraging, showing consumers see substantial evidence
of economic improvement. "They know things are getting better. They see
it all around them," said Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland,
Pa. "Jobs are becoming more plentiful, but they're not as plentiful as they'd
like them to be. That's the only thing at issue here." The result is a
gulf between consumer perceptions of the present and the future. That is not unusual,
but is more typical of turning points in the economy rather than the current state,
where most measures show an economy that is expanding robustly, Naroff said. The
Conference Board's monthly index reflects consumer perceptions of the current
economy as well as their outlook for the next six months. In January, a
sub-index measuring consumers' assessment of current conditions rose to 80.0 from
74.3 in December. Those describing the present business climate as good rose to
22.0 percent, up from 18.6 percent in the previous month. | 
