WASHINGTON — Americans’ confidence in the economy jumped in May to a five-year high, lifted by a better outlook for hiring, rising home prices and more optimism about business conditions. The increase suggests consumers may keep boosting economic growth this ...

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WASHINGTON — Americans are more optimistic the job market is healing and will deliver higher pay later this year. That brighter outlook, along with rising home prices, cheaper gasoline and a surging stock market, could offset some of the drag ...

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WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers increased spending modestly in January but cut back on major purchases that signal confidence in the economy. The decline in spending on goods suggests higher tax rates that kicked in on Jan. 1 may have made ...

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WASHINGTON — Ben Bernanke sent a message Tuesday to Congress: The Federal Reserve’s low-interest-rate policies are giving crucial support to an economy still burdened by high unemployment. The Fed chairman acknowledged the risks of keeping rates low indefinitely. But he ...

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WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence plunged in January to its lowest level in more than a year, reflecting higher Social Security taxes that left Americans with less take-home pay. The Conference Board says its consumer confidence index dropped to 58.6 ...

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WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers peering over the “fiscal cliff” don’t like what they see. Fears of sharp tax increases and government spending cuts set to take effect next week sent consumer confidence tumbling in December to its lowest level since ...

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WASHINGTON — Confidence among U.S. consumers has sunk to its lowest point since July, according to a monthly index. The University of Michigan says its consumer sentiment index for December fell to 72.9, a sharp drop from the November reading ...

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WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence rose this month to its highest level in almost five years, helped by a better outlook for hiring over the next six months. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to ...

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Americans may have slowed their spending in September after splurging during the start of the busy back-to-school shopping season in the month before. But most importantly, they were still spending. September sales rose 3.9 percent — a slowdown from the ...

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NEW YORK — Americans’ confidence in the economy jumped this month to the highest level since February, bolstered by a brighter outlook for overall business conditions and hiring. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index rose to ...

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