Economic sentiment recovered slightly over the past two weeks, following six straight weeks of decline. The HPS-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) rose 0.9 points to 34.2, largely driven by confidence in the housing market and the health of the U.S. economy overall.
While the aggregated index rose, only two of the ESI’s five indicators measuring the public’s sentiment about different areas of the economy increased. Confidence in purchasing a new home rose 3.0 points to 21.1, while confidence in the U.S. economy rose 2.9 points to 31.6.
- Confidence in making a major purchase remained steady at 19.2.
- Confidence in finding a new job fell 0.2 points to 48.1.
- Confidence in personal finances fell 1.3 points to 50.8.
