Consumer Sentiment Index in U.S. Rose to 83.7 in May
By Lorraine Woellert - May 17, 2013
Americans’ confidence in the economy climbed in May to the highest level in almost six years as rising real estate values and record stock prices boosted household wealth.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment increased to 83.7, the highest since July 2007, from 76.4 in April, a report today showed. Separately, the Conference Board’s gauge of the economic outlook for the next three to six months climbed 0.6 percent in April, more than forecast....
“As fiscal drag fades in the second half of the year, the case can be made that overall growth is going to accelerate,”said Jim O’Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York, and the top forecaster of consumer sentiment in the past two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The gain in confidence “is testimony to underlying growth in spending power.”
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index jumped 1 percent to a record 1,666.12 at the close of trading in New York. The Dollar Index climbed as much as 0.9 percent to 84.371, the highest level since July 2010, before trading at 84.261 at 4:07 p.m. New York time, up 0.8 percent. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed to 1.95 percent from 1.88 percent late yesterday. Genius’ t
State Payrolls
Another report from the Labor Department today showed payrolls climbed in 30 states in April, while the unemployment rate dropped in 40, showing the labor market strengthened across the country.
Texas led the gains in payrolls, adding 33,100 jobs last month, followed by New York and Florida. California, New York and South Carolina were among states with the biggest decreases in joblessness.
In Europe, car sales rose in the year ended in April for the first time since September 2011, adding to signs that the 27-nation bloc’s recession may be short-lived.
Today’s U.S. data alleviated concern the world’s largest economy will keep slowing after reports this week showed industrial production declined more than forecast in April and first-time claims for unemployment benefits increased last week.
Consumer Outlook
The Michigan survey follows a Bloomberg measure of consumer outlook, which improved in May to its best reading in five months. The Bloomberg consumer economic expectations gauge, released monthly, rose to minus 1 from minus 4 in April.
The Michigan gauge was forecast to climb to 77.9, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey. The index averaged 64.2 during the recession that ended in June 2009 and 89 in the five years prior.
Rising consumer optimism is good news for retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), Kohl’s Corp. (KSS) and OfficeMax Inc. (OMX), which have reported that customers remain cautious.
At OfficeMax, a retailer of business supplies based in Naperville, Illinois, Chief Executive Officer Ravi Saligram said customers are being pinched by tax increases.
“We believe uncertainty related to cuts in public sector spending associated with the sequestration, the payroll tax hike and changes in health-care laws have meaningfully impacted customer behavior,” Saligram said on a May 7 earnings call.
Current Conditions
The Michigan survey’s current conditions index, which takes stock of Americans’ view of their personal finances, rose to 97.5 in May, the highest reading since October 2007, from 89.9 last month. The index of expectations six months from now rose to 74.8 from 67.8 in April.
The increase in the leading index followed a revised 0.2 percent drop in March and beat the median forecast of economists, which called for a 0.2 percent gain.
Seven of its 10 components contributed to the increase, including a jump in building permits and the widening interest-rate spread between a federal funds rate and 10-year Treasury notes.
“The biggest risk right now is the adverse impact of cuts in federal spending,” Ken Goldstein, an economist at the Conference Board, said in a statement. “The biggest positive factor is the potential for improvement in the recovering housing and labor markets.”
Higher home prices have boosted household wealth. Residential real-estate prices rose in February by the most since May 2006, with the S&P/Case-Shiller index of house values in 20 cities up 9.3 percent from a year ago.
The economy is projected to grow at a 1.6 percent annual rate in the second quarter, down from a 2.5 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, based on the median forecast in a Bloomberg economist survey from May 3 to May 8. The expansion is then projected to accelerate to a 2.6 percent pace in the fourth quarter.
Part of the reason for the projected second-quarter slowdown is an increase in the levy used to finance Social Security, which returned to 6.2 percent from 4.2 percent. A worker earning $50,000 a year is taking home about $83 less a month as a result.