American consumers are the sunniest they’ve been in more than 15 years. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index climbed to 113.7 in December, up from 109.4 in November and the highest since it reached 114 in August 2001. The index measures consumers’ assessment of current conditions, which dipped from November but was still very positive, and their expectations for the future, which hit a high. The U.S. economy grew at a 3.5 percent annual pace from July to September, fastest in two years. Unemployment is at a nine-year low of 4.6 percent. Employers have added 180,000 jobs a month this year, down from an average 229,000 in 2015 but still solid.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/27/us-consumer-confidence-climbed-to-15-year-high-in-december.html
