In this Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, file photo, passers-by examine a storefront window in Boston's fashionable Newbury Street shopping district. U.S. consumer confidence dipped slightly in October as a new wave of coronavirus cases began across the country. The Conference Board reported Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, that its consumer confidence index fell to a reading of 100.9, from 101.8 in September. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
By Martin Crutsinger
U.S. consumer confidence fell to a reading of 96.1 in November as rising coronavirus cases pushed American optimism down to the lowest level since August.
The November reading released Tuesday by the Conference Board said represents a drop from a revised 101.4 in October. The decline reflected a big drop in consumer expectations for income, business, and labor market conditions.
The consumer confidence index is set on a scale with 100 equaling the confidence level in 1985.
In the leadup to the pandemic with the country enjoying unemployment at a half-century low of 3.9%, the confidence index had risen above 130. It stood at 132.6 in February but plunged to 85.7 in April as millions of Americans lost their jobs after the country went into lockdown to try to halt the spread of the pandemic.
The index has bounced around since its big April decline but remains well below the levels reached before the pandemic hit.
Pittsburgh International Airport CEO, Christina Cassotis talks the airport’s upcoming upgrades and why you can’t count out business travel, even in a post-pandemic world.
Fresh off of speaking at the UN, Amalya Yeghoyan, Executive Director of FAR’s Gyumri Information Technology Center, discusses her work to empower women through tech.
Veetahl Eilat-Raichel, Founder and CEO of Sorbet, shares how employees can harness the value of their time off – and how companies can use PTO to employees’ benefit.
Brooke May, Managing Partner at Evans May Wealth, weighs in on how the market is expected to perform through the rest of 2024, plus why she’s still bullish on tech but cautious when it comes to financials.
