Consumer confidence...Go News or ...

Consumer confidence...Good News or ...
by John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR

The Conference Board, a private research group, announced that consumer confidence for the month of December has taken an unexpected rise, due in part to an improved job market and continued optimism about the countries economy.

The revised numbers for November, 2006 settled in at 105.3 and then rose in December to 109.  This is in contrast to what economists had expected - a decline to about 101.9 from the previously reported November figure of 102.9.

Of course "The Conference Board" doesn't want us to draw any conclusions from either the adjusted November or December figures. 

"There is little to suggest that the pace of economic activity in the final quarter of 2006 is anything but moderately better than its uninspiring performance earlier this year," said Lynn Franco, head of the Conference Board's consumer research center.

"Given the see-saw pattern in recent months, it is too soon to tell if this boost in confidence is a genuine signal that better times are ahead," Franco added.