State consumer confidence rises with house prices
Florida's Consumer Confidence Index rose for the first time in four months, a move that coincides with a mild uptick in house prices in South Florida. The Bureau of Economic and Business Research of the University of Florida reported yesterday that the Consumer Confidence Index, which measures the way consumers feel about the economy and their personal finances, rose from 67 to 70. Localized readings of the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index also showed subtle signs of improvement. The region was among 18 of 20 major metropolitan areas seeing a month-to-month recovery, though area home prices are still down 23 percent from the previous year.