After posting its first gains of the year this summer, the Consumer Confidence Index spiked again in September to 59.8. The Conference Board Consumer Research Center Director Lynn Franco attributes it “solely to an improvement in the short-term outlook,” despite economic troubles. Consumers continue to assess current conditions as relatively weak.

           
62.3   58.1   51.0   51.9   56.9 59.8
Apr.   May   Jun.   Jul.   Aug. Sept.

SOURCE: THE CONFERENCE BOARD