Washington (awp / afp) – US consumer confidence improved markedly in June, driven by the economic outlook which makes households more optimistic about the economy to come, according to the final estimate of the University survey of Michigan released Friday.
The index stood at 85.5 points. This is less than the preliminary estimate (86.4 points) but significantly better than the 82.9 points recorded in May.
“This is the second largest increase since the start of the pandemic”, commented Richard Curtin, chief economist, in charge of the investigation.
“Consumers continued to pay close attention to three critical factors: inflation, unemployment and interest rates,” he also stressed, explaining that inflation expectations for the coming year have dropped slightly.
Consumers polled also believe the price spikes will be “mostly temporary” while 56% of consumers expect the unemployment rate to drop in the coming year, “the highest proportion on record in the world. history of surveys, “the economist also explained.
As a result, the component of the index measuring consumer expectations over the next six months fell from 78.8 points in May to 83.5 points in June.
That measuring their appreciation of the current economic situation has, on the other hand, decreased (88.6 against 89.4 points).
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