GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s consumer confidence fell three points in June to 68, possibly because of new and increased state fees for residents, General Motors’ bankruptcy and a spike in Florida’s unemployment rate a new University of Florida survey finds.
The index components were mixed, with perceptions of personal finances now compared with a year ago up three points to 44 from a revised May reading of 41 but still near historical lows. All others were lower than or the same as last month.
National consumer confidence posted its second large increase in two months. But Florida consumer sentiment was essentially flat in May, according to figures released Tuesday.
The national Consumer Confidence Index was up 14 points this month, to 54.9, according to the Conference Board, the New-York based group that conducts the monthly survey. Driving this was the ''Expectations Index,'' which is the part of the survey that measures beliefs about the future. That part was up 22 points, to 72.3.
Sentiment about the present was up a more modest 3.4 points, to 28.9.
In spite of the historic campaign events and election result, 2008 followed some more or less usual patterns in shaping voter choice. Using survey data collected by the Survey Research Center (SRC) in the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida in October and November 2008, this analysis shows that Florida voters were strongly influenced by partisanship and retrospective evaluations of the Bush presidency. A few issues were also modestly important in shaping vote choices.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer confidence among Floridians surged six points to 71 in April amid indicators of flattening housing prices statewide and news that the economy has not worsened, a new University of Florida survey finds.
“The size of the increase comes as somewhat of a surprise,” said Chris McCarty, director of UF’s Survey Research Center at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “We had expected confidence among Florida’s consumers to move up and down in a fairly narrow window from the low to the upper 60s.”
The federal government wants to put the auto industry back on the road and consumers in the driver's seat — and now is even willing to make sure you keep that new car running, as long as you buy American.
President Barack Obama on Monday announced the government would back General Motors and Chrysler vehicle warranties. That ensures consumers will have major repairs covered if the companies go into bankruptcy.
The economic news de jour is playing a role in how Floridians feel about their future as it fluctuates from one day to the next.
While consumer confidence among those in the Sunshine State rose three points to 65 in March, a University of Florida researcher says it may have more to do with perception than reality.
Floridians' consumer confidence fell in February, as hopes dimmed that the nation would find a quick fix for the troubled economy. Nationwide, consumer confidence is now at an all-time low.
The University of Florida says its index of Florida's consumer confidence fell three points to 63. Survey Research Center Director Chris McCarty of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research said the indicator fell because "the novelty of a new administration met with the sustained reality of a faltering economy."
NEW YORK (AP) - Americans' mood about the economy darkened further this month, sending a widely watched barometer of consumer sentiment to an all-time low as people worry about their jobs and watch their retirement funds dwindle, a private research group said Tuesday.
Several big companies Monday announced massive layoffs, sending tens of thousands more to the unemployment lines. The nation's unemployment rate, now at a 16-year high of 7.2 percent, could hit 10 percent or higher later this year or early next year, according to some analysts' projections.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer confidence among Floridians inched up one point to 68 in January despite worse than expected holiday retail sales and the state being tied for 10th place in the percentage of unemployed workers, a new University of Florida study finds.
The makeup of the results was quite different from last month, with perhaps the biggest change in the component measuring perceptions of personal finances now compared with a year ago. It broke a four-month trend downward to rise five points from last month’s record low of 39.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer confidence among Floridians rose five points to 67 in December, reflecting optimism about new presidential leadership in January despite unprecedented pessimism about personal finances, a new University of Florida study finds.
