Consumer Sentiment Improving

Consumer sentiment is improving, according to the University of Michigan’s survey:


Although I prefer to look at what consumers are doing rather than what they are saying to interviewers, this look at January comes out before any official statistics.  It’s good news.  Falling oil prices are said to help, not that I’ve seen any improvement at Oregon gas stations.  These data corroborate the information on the quit rate I discussed last week.

Business Strategy Implications:  The risk of a recession this year is declining, though contingency planning is still a good idea.