NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. consumer confidence edged higher in February, driven by a modest easing of pessimistic future outlooks, though the overall index remained significantly below recent highs, The Conference Board said Tuesday.
The Consumer Confidence Index rose 2.2 points to 91.2 in February, up from an upwardly revised 89 in January, according to preliminary results of a monthly survey issued by The Conference Board.
The Present Situation Index, which reflects consumers' assessment of current business and employment environments, fell by 1.8 points to 120 in February, while the Expectations Index, which gauges consumers' short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, increased by 4.8 points to 72.
Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, noted that while confidence ticked up after a January decline and four of the index's five components strengthened, "the measure remained well below the four-year peak achieved in November 2024 (112.8)."
