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 JAN 03, 2007
December Sees a Rise in Consumer Confidence
With December behind us, reports show that consumer confidence was at its highest rating in the previous 8 months. This boost could be a signal of a positive turnaround in the recent housing slump.


Confidence levels were reported by the Conference Board at 109.0 for the month of December. The rating in April of 2006 came in at 109.8, which at that point was the highest in a 4 year period. Recent declines in confidence levels continue to be blamed on the slow housing market and high gasoline prices.

The December numbers have given some analysts reassurance that the recent slump in the housing market has not had a negative affect on consumer spending. This type of spending activity could possibly be a contributing factor to a recession. We could be faced with a similar downturn to the one in 2001 that was partially triggered by the bursting of the stock market "bubble" in 2000.

Not all analysts see the numbers as a solid positive sign. Several others continue to be cautious. Lynn Franco, director of the consumer research center for the Conference Board, refers to the seesaw patterns of the recent months in 2006. She believes that it is still too soon to predict a positive turn around.

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