Getting your player ready...
Americans are feeling better, but they’re still far short of well.
Last week, the Conference Board said its consumer-confidence index hit the highest level since Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008. Its rise to 55.9 was its third straight month of improvement.
But consumer confidence is still way below its long-term average of 95, says Paul Dales, an economist with Capital Economics.
That hesitancy in the face of economic growth and a rebounding stock market could mean shoppers remain thrifty for a while. Such behavior could cause the economic recovery to fade as the year progresses.
