Washington, Feb 23, 2021 (AFP)
US consumers were slightly more confident about the economy in February, but more guarded about the coming months amid the ongoing pandemic, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The Conference Board's consumer confidence index posted its second consecutive increase, rising to 91.3 from 88.9 in January.
However, the Conference Board said its latest consumer survey was completed February 11, and does not fully capture the Texas weather and power crisis, nor the plans to loosen dining restrictions in New York.
The survey showed a rebound in confidence about the present situation, but a decline in feelings about the next six months.
That shows "consumers remain cautiously optimistic, on the whole, about the outlook for the coming months," said Lynn Franco, the Conference Board's senior director of economic Indicators.
A smaller share of people expect jobs or income to become more plentiful in the next six months, but fewer expect things to deteriorate, according to the data.
And "Notably, vacation intentions -- particularly, plans to travel outside the U.S. and via air -- saw an uptick this month, and are poised to improve further as vaccination efforts expand," Franco said in a statement.

Sumber : AFP