NEW YORK, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined in April, increased moderately in May. The Index now stands at 95.4 (1985=100), up from 94.3 in April. The Present Situation Index increased from 105.1 last month to 108.1 in May. The Expectations Index edged down to 86.9 from 87.1 in April.
The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey®, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was May 15.
"Consumer confidence improved modestly in May, after declining sharply in April," said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. "After a three-month slide, the Present Situation Index increased, propelled by a more positive assessment of the labor market. Expectations, however, were relatively flat following a steep decline in April. While current conditions in the second quarter appear to be improving, consumers still remain cautious about the short-term outlook."
Consumers' assessment of current-day conditions improved in May. Those saying business conditions are "good" edged down from 25.5 percent to 25.2 percent. However, those claiming business conditions are "bad" also decreased from 19.2 percent to 17.4 percent. Consumers were mixed in their assessment of the job market. Those stating jobs are "plentiful" increased from 19.0 percent to 20.7 percent, while those claiming jobs are "hard to get" rose from 25.9 percent to 27.3 percent.
Consumers' optimism about the short-term outlook edged down in May. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months inched up from 15.4 percent to 15.6 percent, while those expecting business conditions to worsen also increased, from 9.1 percent to 10.8 percent. Consumers' outlook for the labor market, however, improved. Those anticipating more jobs in the months ahead increased from 13.8 percent to 14.6 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs declined from 16.4 percent to 15.5 percent. The proportion of consumers expecting growth in their incomes was unchanged at 17.4 percent, while the proportion expecting a decline increased slightly from 10.8 percent to 11.1 percent.
May 2015Consumer Confidence Survey®
The Conference Board
About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org
About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.
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SOURCE The Conference Board