U.S. Comfort Gauge Rises Most in 11 Years, But Below March Level

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Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Sentiment among U.S. consumers improved the most in 11 years last week as the economy slowly improves, but remains well below levels seen before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index rose 2.7 points to 47.8 last week, data released Thursday show. This is the largest one-week improvement since April 2009.

The comfort levels of upper-income Americans and men were the primary drivers behind the gain.

A gauge of comfort in the buying climate rose to a five-month high of 42.0, while measures of the national economy and personal finances climbed to their best levels since early April and late March, respectively.

The index continues to reflect disparities between higher and lower incomes. The measure is up 10.3 points in two weeks for those with household incomes of $100,000 or more. By comparison, its held largely steady since mid-July among those with earnings under $50,000.