University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index

The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index experienced a 2.4% increase in April, rising to 63.5 from a downwardly revised 62 in March, and surpassing predictions of 62. Highlights From U-M Report: The index of current economic conditions rose from 66.3 in March to 68.6 in April, up 3.5%....

The market appears to be persisting with its circumspect mood as seen by the trading in the index futures on Friday. Cues From Thursday’s Trading: U.S. stocks ended Thursday’s session lower as traders digested earnings news flow and a rise in bond yields following a trio of Treasury...

Traders have returned back to their cautious ways following the week’s strong run-up amid hopes of a soft landing and earnings optimism. The index futures are pointing to a modestly lower opening on Friday. Cues From Thursday’s Trading: On Thursday, the major averages closed with...

US stocks look set to start Friday’s session on a nervous note as the recent gains introduce caution amid traders. The trading direction could also hinge on the earnings reports from big banks and the results of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey. What Happened: On...

Trading in the index futures suggests that U.S. stocks could get off to a slightly positive start on Friday. Notwithstanding the early signals, two key economic data will likely direct trading direction in the final session of the week. The major averages snapped their multi-session losses on...

According to Bank of America, consumer discretionary spending was up 2.9% in October year-over-year, but down from its September reading of 3.2%. As the holiday season fastly approaches, a Bank of America survey found more than 20% of U.S. consumers intended to spend significantly less...

In October, buying conditions for durables climbed to 23% as prices and supply constraints eased. Consumer durables typically last more than three years, and the easing price conditions can help prop up firms such as YETI Holdings Inc (NYSE: YETI) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) as the...

After the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.3% in August, down from 8.5% in July, the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) started trending lower, heading towards June's lows. Although inflation has shown signs of weakening on the energy front as the energy index has declined by 9.6% in the...

Since the University of Michigan released the August preliminary results for consumer sentiment, the index has increased to be better than expected as the final results were announced earlier Friday. The Data: The final results for the consumer sentiment index for August increased 13% since July,...

The consumer price index remained unchanged for the month of July as the energy index fell 4.6%, setting the consumer price index at 8.5% over the past 12 months. The food index rose 1.1% while the food at home index rose 1.3%, causing average Americans to be more cost-conscious when it...

The consumer price index for June increased 1.3%, while the index increased 9.1% over the past 12 months, with energy and food leading the way yet again for inflation. The Data: As of Friday morning, the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers released the preliminary results on...

It’s looking like investors might still be searching for a catalyst to move the market one way or the other. A holding pattern seems to have developed with the S&P 500 Index (SPX) near its all-time closing high set in February but unable to clear that level recently. Investors...

The market seems to have regained a little confidence after yesterday’s late downward spiral, but the true test lies straight ahead. A three-day weekend looms, with the markets closed Friday for the holiday. Typically, selling has accelerated into weekends lately as many investors feel shaky...

In the Carrier Update presented by PowerFleet, Zach Strickland looks at outbound tender volumes to determine the likelihood of a drop on the horizon; Luke Falasca dives into several areas of the country, including the Philadelphia market; and Andrew Cox analyzes the University of Michigan's...

The S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index was released Tuesday morning and reported home prices continued to rise. Data through August 2012 released Tuesday showed average home prices increased by 0.9 percent for both the 10- and 20-City composites in August versus July 2012 on a non-seasonally...