That’s the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index among homeowners, the highest reading in more than five years. The index was minus 44.7 among renters. It was minus 29.4 for all respondents in the week ended May 19, compared to minus 30.2...
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Photograph by Ty Wright/Bloomberg
Wanda Doerksen squeegees the patio doors of her home as she prepares for an open house in Eugene, Oregon.
Bloomberg by the Numbers: -20.7
Photograph by Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
Canadians were most upbeat, with 82 percent registering a “good” rating of their finances.
Households Rate Their Finances Above Their Government’s
When it comes to making ends meet, consumers say they are doing a better job than their governments. Consumers around the world are more optimistic about their personal finances than those of their national economies, according to a 39-country survey...
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Photograph by Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
Customers shop at a Macy's Inc. store in New York.
Bloomberg by the Numbers: -30.2
That’s the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for the week ended May 12. The index, which is based on Americans’ opinions about the economy, the buying climate and their own finances, fell from minus 29.5 in the prior week. It can...
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Photograph by Ronda Churchill/Bloomberg
The Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Staycations Yield to Vegas, Margaritaville: Sure Rebound Signs
DJ Steve Aoki sprayed champagne on attendees before selecting some to surf the crowd on an inflatable raft during opening week of the Hakkasan night club in Las Vegas last month. The five-story, $100 million-plus addition to the MGM Grand...
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Photograph by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Pedestrians carry shopping bags on Market Street in San Francisco.
Political Independents Finally Lose Recession Blues
Looking at consumer confidence, political independents are in a Christmas holiday mood — if we look back to 2007. Sentiment among those without a party affiliation climbed last week to the highest level since the week ended December 23, 2007,...
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Photograph by Peter Foley/Bloomberg
Job seekers fill out applications during the NYC Restaurant Job Expo at the Gabarron Foundation in New York, on April 9, 2013.
Bloomberg by the Numbers: 339,000
That’s how many first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits were filed in the week ended April 20. The number represents a six-week low and a decrease of 16,000 from the 355,000 applications for jobless assistance filed the previous week. “Fewer...
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Photograph by Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
Customers try out mattresses in the showroom of an Ikea store in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
Bloomberg by the Numbers: -29.2
That’s the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index in the week ended April 14, the highest since January 2008. The index, which asks U.S. consumers for their views on the economy, buying climate and personal finances, rose 4.8 points from minus 34...
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Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Consumers Most Confident in Five Years
If the economy is cooling, consumers aren’t noticing. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index climbed to minus 29.2 in the week ended April 14, the highest since January 2008, from minus 34 in the prior period. The jump was the biggest...
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Photograph by Richard Drew/AP Photo
Traders gather at a post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on April 11, 2013.
Record Stock Prices Make Top Earners Feel More Comfortable
Confidence among American households earning more than $100,000 climbed last week to the highest level in more than two years just as the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index set a new record, the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index showed today. The...
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Photograph by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
People are reflected in the side of a Cigarette boat as they look at boats on display at The Miami International Boat Show.
Consumers: No Hint of Job-Market Slump
The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index was at minus 34.1 in the week ended March 31, up less than a half point from the prior week as measures of the state of the economy and buying climate improved. What’s been the...
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Contributors
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Al Hunt
is a columnist for Bloomberg View and host of the weekly show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" on Bloomberg TV. -
Mark Silva
is deputy managing editor for government news in Washington and editor of Political Capital. He has covered the White House and national politics. -
Emma Fidel
is political editor for Bloomberg.com in Washington. She previously covered financial regulation as a Bloomberg intern. -
Don Frederick
edits political and government coverage for Bloomberg News. He previously worked for more than a decade at the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. -
Gregory Giroux
analyzes elections, financing of congressional and presidential elections, political advertising and demographics in Bloomberg's Washington Bureau. -
Julie Bykowicz
covers the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, and covered the state legislature and city crime for the Baltimore Sun for 10 years. -
Jonathan Salant
covers campaign finance and lobbying in Washington. He was president of the National Press Club and started in Washington in 1987. -
Richard Rubin
covers federal tax policy. He worked at Congressional Quarterly and The Charlotte Observer before joining Bloomberg News in 2010. -
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
is a senior political reporter for the Washington Bureau. She covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News and previously covered the White House for the Baltimore Sun. -
Lisa Lerer
covers the White House and covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News. She covered Congress, lobbying and the 2008 campaign for Politico. -
John McCormick
is a national political reporter looking forward to the 2016 presidential campaign, which will be the fifth he's covered. He's also reported for The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. -
Julianna Goldman
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Hans Nichols
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Margaret Talev
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and covered the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered California and Florida politics. -
Cary O'Reilly
is Editor at Large at Bloomberg First Word and is Washington Daybook columnist for Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg News.
