News In Brief

December 1, 1999

The confidence of US consumers surged in November, the Conference Board reported. Its index of Americans' willingness to spend rose to 135.8 last month from a revised 130.5 in October - the first increase in five months. The jump was greater than analysts had expected, and it left the index only about 4 points below its peak of 139 in June, the highest reading in more than 30 years.

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