How Americans feel about the economy

For a look behind the scenes of our data journalism, sign up to Off the Charts, our weekly newsletter

AFTER MORE than a year of gloom, Americans are feeling more upbeat about the economy. On October 14th preliminary data from the University of Michigan showed that consumer sentiment improved for the fourth month in a row. The consumer-sentiment index, which fell to its lowest level on record in June, has ticked back up thanks to cooling inflation, and a decline in fuel prices (despite a recent uptick, costs are down by more than 20% since the middle of the year). The results will no doubt be chewed over by investors and market analysts for weeks. Yet for all the interest in measures of consumer confidence, they may not be the economic bellwethers they once were.