- AIG 'Retention' Bonus Paid To Execs Who Already Left
- World Bank Cuts China's 2009 GDP Forecast to 6.5%
- Bank of Japan Raises Bond Buying as Stimulus Looms
- Thornburg Mortgage May File Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
- Summers: We'll Be Creative In Recovering AIG Bonuses
- Banking Crisis Could Get Even Worse in '09: Whitney
- For 40 Years, Small Caps Still Safest Bet in Stocks
- Rivals Launch Assault To Steal HP Customers
- Cramer: Economy Up, But Not Stocks Yet
- Mad Mail: What's Wrong With Nucor?
- Lightning Round: AT&T, Microsoft, MetLife and More
- Lightning Round OT: Comerica, Kinder Morgan and More
- Tech’s Overlooked Winners
- Off the Charts: Smith International
- Economy Up, But Not Stocks Yet
- Your First Move For Wednesday March 18th
- Web Extra: Fast & Furious Trades For Wednesday
- Last Stock Standing: Financials
Text Size 
U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly in March but remained weak overall due to worries about job losses, a moribund housing sector and ailing banks, a survey released Tuesday said.
Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence said their IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index rose to 45.3 in March from 44.6 in February.
"Confidence remains weak as Americans look past the current surge in spending on bailouts and stimulus and fret about how it will affect the economy down the road," said Terry Jones, associate editor of Investor's Business Daily.
 |
"Even though respondents were moderately more confident with their own finances, a positive for the economy, they appear deeply worried about trends in the markets, the ailing banking and housing sectors, and jobs."
The index is 2.4 points above its 12-month average of 42.9 and just 0.9 point above the reading of 44.4 in December 2007, when the economy entered recession.
Index readings below 50 indicate pessimism.
The IBD/TIPP surveys more than 900 adults, generally in the first week of the month.
Print
Email
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes