Global| Mar 29 2005Consumer Confidence Down Again
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The March Index of Consumer Confidence published by the Conference Board fell 1.9% to 102.4 from an upwardly revised February level. Consensus expectations had been for a reading of 103.0 and the decline followed a 0.7% drop in [...]
The March Index of Consumer Confidence published by the Conference Board fell 1.9% to 102.4 from an upwardly revised February level. Consensus expectations had been for a reading of 103.0 and the decline followed a 0.7% drop in February.
During the last twenty years there has been a 51% correlation between the level of consumer confidence and the y/y change in real consumer spending. The correlation rose to 66% during the last ten years.
The March index of consumer expectations fell for the third consecutive month (+2.6% y/y) following an 11.6% surge in December. The present situation index fell modestly (+37.0% y/y) after rising strongly in the prior four months.
Jobs were viewed as hard to get by 23.8% of survey participants, up slightly from the February low. Expectations for income in six months grew poorer as fewer respondents (16.7%) expected an increase and more expected a decrease (9.3%).
The Conference Board’s survey isconducted by a mailed questionnaire to 5,000 households and about 3,500 typically respond.
| Conference Board | Mar | Feb | Y/Y | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Confidence | 102.4 | 104.4 | 15.7% | 96.1 | 79.8 | 96.6 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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