From the Conference Board:
Consumers’ appraisal of present-day conditions was more positive in April. Those claiming conditions are "good" increased to 9.1 percent from 8.5 percent, while those claiming business conditions are "bad" declined to 40.2 percent from 42.1 percent. Consumers’ appraisal of the labor market also improved. Those saying jobs are "plentiful" increased to 4.8 percent from 4.0 percent, while those saying jobs are "hard to get" decreased to 45.0 percent from 46.3 percent.Consumers’ outlook was also brighter in April. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months increased to 19.8 percent from 18.0 percent, while those expecting conditions will worsen declined to 12.6 percent from 13.6 percent.
Consumers were also more optimistic about the job outlook. The percentage of consumers anticipating more jobs in the months ahead increased to 18.0 percent from 14.1 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs declined to 20.0 percent from 21.4 percent. The proportion of consumers anticipating an increase in their incomes declined to 10.3 from 10.8 percent.
The real story here is the straight line for the last year; consumers are definitely in a "show me" state of mind.
