Consumer confidence slides in June

Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:09am EDT
 
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence fell in June after two straight months of gains.

The Conference Board, an industry group, said on Tuesday its index of consumer attitudes dropped to 49.3 from 54.8 in May. The Present Situation Index slid to 24.8 from 29.7.

Americans saying jobs are "hard to get" increased to 44.8 percent from 43.9 percent the previous month, while those saying jobs are "plentiful" slid to 4.5 percent from May's 5.8 percent.

"The decline in the Present Situation index, caused by a less favorable assessment of business conditions and employment, continues to imply that economic conditions, while not as weak as earlier, are nonetheless weak," said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board's Consumer Research Center.

(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by James Dalgleish)

 

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