Indexes

October 5, 2010

Rasmussen Employment Index Moves to Two-Year High

The Rasmussen Employment Index jumped six points in September to reach a two-year high of 75.3.

September 21, 2010

Married Americans Agree How to Spend Nest Egg Even Though They're Unsure How Much They'll Have

Married people feel in harmony when it comes to managing finances in retirement, but most don't know how much they'll have. According to a new COUNTRY Financial survey, about four out of five (83 percent) of those nearing retirement age (40-64 years old) are confident they and their spouse agree about how to handle money matters in their golden years. This comes as a majority (56 percent) says they have no idea or are unsure how much monthly income they will have in retirement.

August 31, 2010

Rasmussen Employment Index Shows Little Change in August

The Rasmussen Employment Index inched up just over half a point this month from its six-month low in July.

August 4, 2010

Discover(R) U.S. Spending MonitorSM Drops 1.9 Points in July

Consumer confidence fell for the third straight month as more consumers rated current economic conditions as poor, and fewer see the economy improving, according to the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor for July 2010.

July 26, 2010

Confidence Falls Again in July

Small business confidence fell for the second month in July as a higher percentage of small business owners rated the current economy as poor and see it only getting worse, according to the Discover Small Business Watch.  The index dropped to 83 in July from 86.1 in June. It has been below 83 only once since the beginning of 2010.

June 29, 2010

Rasmussen Employment Index Dips Slightly in June

The Rasmussen Employment Index slipped a point in June after reaching a multi-year high the month before.

June 15, 2010

Americans' Financial Security Sentiments Remain Stable at Midyear

After increasing in April, Americans' level of confidence in their overall financial security held steady in June, as the COUNTRY Financial Security Index(R) ticked down just one-tenth of a point to 64.8. A more optimistic near-term view of Americans' finances was offset by continued uncertainty about longer range issues.

June 1, 2010

Rasmussen Employment Index Reaches Recent High

The Rasmussen Employment Index rose just over a point in May to reach its highest level since September 2008. At 74.8, the monthly measure of worker confidence is up eight points from a year ago but still down 13 points from September 2008.

April 20, 2010

Financial Security Sentiments Regain Lost Ground in April

While 2010 began with dismal financial security sentiments, Americans now feel more optimistic about nearly all aspects of their financial security.

April 16, 2010

Pessimism About Financial Security Might Be Slowing

As the debate over the direction of the economy continues, Americans' pessimism about their financial security is slowing. The latest COUNTRY Financial Security Index(R) dipped 0.3 points to 64.6 in June, marking the smallest overall decline since October 2008.

March 16, 2010

Americans Split Over Post-Recession Nest Egg

Americans are split when it comes to how the recession has impacted their retirement savings strategy. A COUNTRY Financial survey reveals that while 48 percent have decreased the amount of money they are putting away for their golden years, an equal number have either increased (12 percent) or maintained their level of savings (35 percent).

February 2, 2010

Rasmussen Employment Index Records Gains for Second Straight Month

The Rasmussen Employment Index rose for the second straight month in January. At 66.3, the monthly measure of workplace confidence is up two points from the month before and up five points from a year ago.

February 1, 2010

Month-by-Month Review of Consumer Confidence

Consumer confidence in January rose for the second straight month and has almost reached the levels enjoyed before the financial industry meltdown in September 2008.

January 7, 2010

Rasmussen Employment Index Up Slightly

The Rasmussen Employment Index rose more than two points in December after falling four points the month before.

January 6, 2010

Discover® U.S. Spending MonitorSM Drops 3.3 Points in December

The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor fell 3.3 points in December to 83.0 (based out of 100). The decline was primarily driven by a big decrease in post- holiday spending intentions from consumers. While the decrease in spending intentions was anticipated, consumers showed little improvement in economic confidence in December and they grew slightly more pessimistic about their finances. These contributing factors leave the Monitor's index standing at a nine-month low.

December 28, 2009

Small Business Confidence Steady in December

Economic confidence among America's small business owners was steady in December as fewer of them believed the U.S. economy was getting worse compared to November, and more saw conditions for their own businesses getting better in the next six months, according to the Discover Small Business Watch. The Watch index improved slightly in December to 77.0 from 76.5 in November.

December 28, 2009

Two Economies: Government Workers Optimistic, Private Sector Not

Government employees are much more bullish about the economy than those who work in the private sector. That’s a big change from the beginning of the year when those on the public payroll were a bit more pessimistic than private sector workers.

December 1, 2009

Discover(R) Small Business Watch(SM): Small Business Confidence Plunges

Economic confidence among America's small business owners plummeted in November, as more owners cited serious concerns about cash flow and saw economic conditions for their own businesses getting worse. The Discover(R) Small Business Watch(SM)index fell 12 points in November to 76.5 from 88.5 in October.