IMGCAP(1)]
The Consumer Confidence Index fell to an all-time low in December after a moderate increase the previous month, The Conference Board, a research organization, announced today. The December index stands at 38, down from 44.7 in November. The baseline for the index is 100. The percentage of consumers who said business conditions are "bad" increased to 46% in December from 40.6% who said so during the previous month. Some 7.7% of consumers said business conditions are "good," down from 10.1% last month. Consumers anticipating business conditions to worsen during the next six months increased to 32.8% in December from 28.3% in November, while those expecting conditions to improve rose to 13.4% from 11.5%. The percentage of consumers anticipating fewer jobs in the months ahead increased to 41% from 33.7%, while those expecting more jobs increased to 9.7% from 9.2%. The percentage of consumers who said jobs are "hard to get" rose to 42% in December from 37.1% in November, while those who said jobs are "plentiful" decreased to 6.2% from 8.7%, according to the survey. Research company TNS conducts the monthly Consumer Confidence survey of 5,000 randomly selected U.S. households. The cutoff date for December's results was Dec. 22.
