U.S. Consumer Confidence Drops In March As Outlook Sours

[Purveyor]

Source: REUTERS

(Reuters) — U.S. consumer confidence tumbled in March as Americans turned more pessimistic about economic prospects in the short term, according to a private-sector report released Tuesday.

The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes fell to 59.7 from a downwardly revised 68 in February. The figure fell short of economists' expectations of 68.
February was originally reported as 69.6.

--CLIP
Consumers also felt more pessimistic about the labor outlook in the coming months and were mixed on their income prospects.

The recent sequester has created uncertainty regarding the economic outlook and, as a result, consumers are less confident," Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at the New York-based Conference Board, said in a statement.



Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130326/NEWS07/130329832/u-s-consumer-confidence-drops-in-march-as-outlook-sours

[JDPriestly]

1. The talk about the chained CPI and cutting Social Security and Medicare

is scaring working people.

The Republicans had hoped to divide the Democratic Party into factions by age. Problem is that the youth in the Democratic Party understand that their parents cannot support themselves. It's the wealthy top percent of the Republican seniors who have money, not the Democratic seniors on the average. And young Democrats don't want to have to choose between feeding and educating their children or taking care of their parents.

The formerly underdeveloped BRIC nations feel self-confident enough about their economies to break away from the IMF and form their own banks. They are doing well. We should stop worrying about industrializing them and impose additional restrictions on imports. That way we could increase jobs here and give our own young people a chance at good education and jobs and support our seniors with the profits and taxes from goods made here and jobs done here.

The trade agreements have not been good for America, not for working Americans and not for seniors.

Free trade has failed Americans. It's time to admit it and try to do better in the future.