US consumer confidence fell in February to the lowest in 10 months, as consumers' short-term outlook for the jobs market worsened, according to a private report released today.
The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes fell to 46.0 in February from a revised 56.5 in the prior month. February's reading is the lowest since April, 2009.
The median of forecasts from analysts polled by Reuters was for a February reading of 55.0. The expectations index fell to 63.8 from 77.3. The present situation index dropped to 19.4 from 25.2 in January, the worst since February 1983.
"Concerns about current business conditions and the job market pushed the Present Situation Index down to its lowest level in 27 years," said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center.
"Consumers also remain extremely pessimistic about their income prospects,."
Consumers' labour market assessment worsened. The "jobs hard to get" index rose to 47.7 per cent from 46.5 percent, while the "jobs plentiful" index fell to 3.6 per cent in February from 4.4 percent in January.
Reuters