Economic sentiment improved slightly over the past two weeks, on the heels of a nearly five point decrease the previous two weeks. The HPS-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) rose 0.8 points to 30.4, largely driven by increases to confidence in personal finances and in the overall U.S. economy.
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The ESI continues to be buoyed by how consumers feel about their own situation compared to the broader economy—confidence in personal finances rose 3.9 points to 46.4.
- Confidence in the overall U.S. economy rose 2.8 points to 28.1.
- Confidence in buying a new home rose 0.4 points to 18.6.
- Confidence in making a major purchase fell 0.9 points to 16.5.
But confidence in finding a new job fell 2.2 points to 42.3. Continuing unemployment claims have risen for three straight weeks. And the four-week average of new jobless claims rose to 223,500—the highest since late January.