U.S. consumer confidence up higher in September: IBD

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence continued to rise in September, largely reflecting stronger stock-market gains, a survey released on Tuesday said.

Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence said their IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index rose to 52.5 in September from 50.3 in August.

The index is now 5 points above its 12-month average of 47.5 and 8.1 points above its reading of 44.4 in December 2007, when the economy entered the recession.

Index readings above 50 indicate optimism, while those below 50 point to pessimism.

"Across-the-board we see our index sustaining its last month gain and building some more on top of it," said Raghavan Mayur, president of TIPP, a unit of TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, IBD's polling partner.

"If the index can sustain the current healthy levels, we believe that it could greatly help consumer spending."

In August, Mayur said he projected the recession would end in the third quarter this year.

The IBD/TIPP surveys more than 900 adults generally in the first week of the month.

(Reporting by Camille Drummond; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)