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.
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.
