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The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined moderately in January, increased in February. The Index now stands at 114.8 (1985=100), up from 111.6 in January. The Present Situation Index rose from 130.0 to 133.4 and the Expectations Index increased from 99.3 last month to 102.4.
The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was February 16.
“Consumer confidence increased in February and remains at a 15-year high (July 2001, 116.3),” said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers rated current business and labor market conditions more favorably this month than in January. Expectations improved regarding the short-term outlook for business, and to a lesser degree jobs and income prospects. Overall, consumers expect the economy to continue expanding in the months ahead.”
Consumers’ assessment of current conditions held relatively steady in February. Those saying business conditions are “good” declined slightly from 29.0% to 28.7%, while those saying business conditions are “bad” also decreased, from 15.9% to 13.2%. Consumers’ assessment of the labor market was also mixed. Those stating jobs are “plentiful” declined from 27.1% to 26.2%, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” also decreased, from 21.1% to 20.3%.
Consumers were more optimistic about the short-term outlook in February. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months increased from 22.9% to 24.0%, however those expecting business conditions to worsen also rose slightly from 10.8% to 11.1%.
Consumers’ outlook for the labor market was also moderately more upbeat. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead increased from 19.7% to 20.4%, while those anticipating fewer jobs declined from 14.4% to 13.6%. The percentage of consumers expecting their incomes to increase rose marginally from 18.1% to 18.3%, while the proportion expecting a decrease declined from 9.4% to 8.2%.
About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world’s leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States.
About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings plc is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers watch and buy. Nielsen's Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services for all devices on which content — video, audio and text — is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry's only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen also provides its clients with analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90 percent of the world’s population.
