[linlithgowoil]

next month itll be back to normal. i cant quite put my finger on why, but people simply cannot tighten their belts these days. they can to a limited extent, but the amount of advertising and pressure to get things is unbelievable, and most people crack after not very long. e.g. they'll start paying down their credit cards etc., then a few months later - after a starvation diet of no quick fix consumer products and gadgets, they'll likely think... 'What the hell am i working for... all i do is pay debt - i'm gonna go out and get me something to cheer myself up..'

They then bring out their credit card and the whole cycle starts again.

Im currently paying down my credit cards and should have 2 of them down to zero balances by next spring, with the other one cleared off by summer 2007 i imagine. Its a long, long slog though.

[peaker_2005]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('linlithgowoil', 'n')ext month itll be back to normal. i cant quite put my finger on why, but people simply cannot tighten their belts these days. they can to a limited extent, but the amount of advertising and pressure to get things is unbelievable, and most people crack after not very long. e.g. they'll start paying down their credit cards etc., then a few months later - after a starvation diet of no quick fix consumer products and gadgets, they'll likely think... 'What the hell am i working for... all i do is pay debt - i'm gonna go out and get me something to cheer myself up..'

They then bring out their credit card and the whole cycle starts again.

Im currently paying down my credit cards and should have 2 of them down to zero balances by next spring, with the other one cleared off by summer 2007 i imagine. Its a long, long slog though.

[Doly]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peaker_2005', '
')Well, this happened over here not too long ago.

[Chocky]

Australia.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')m currently paying down my credit cards and should have 2 of them down to zero balances by next spring, with the other one cleared off by summer 2007 i imagine. Its a long, long slog though.

[linlithgowoil]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hat sort of stuff do you buy with them? I only use mine to buy stuff I actually already have the money for.

[Specop_007]

I admit I'm a victim of buying shit I otherwise may not need.
Whats ironic, nothing I buy (As far as I know) is advertised about on TV.
Ever see a Surefire flashlight commcercial? How about a Bushmaster commercial? Or a commcercial touting the better performance of mil spec 5.56 such as Winchester Q3131a? I know I for damned sure havent seen a commercial about why I need a fancy .50 cal rifle. Or why I need a night vision device.

All the stuff I like to buy, they never advertise for. Kinda depressing, I wish I would see a commercial trying to sell Bushmasters on TV......

[falser]

My personal consumer confidence was crushed months ago. But I saw a commercial the other day for company selling gold bullion, it showed close-ups of all kinds of Liberty and Maple Leaf gold coins. It was the first time in a while when I saw a commercial and said "Ooh shiny, must buy". Meanwhile commercials for cars, ipods, viagra, and debt consolidation just go in one eye and out the other.

[JustinFrankl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chocky', 'A')ustralia.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')m currently paying down my credit cards and should have 2 of them down to zero balances by next spring, with the other one cleared off by summer 2007 i imagine. Its a long, long slog though.

[aahala]

My consumer confidence has risen sharply in the last few months.

I am increasingly confident we're in a mess.

[cheaplaughs2]

The new consumer confidence report came out today and it's at the
highest level in 4 years.Let's see,energy prices near all time high's,
gm and ford falling apart, a war in IRAQ with no end in sight,debt
going through the roof,etc etc.Do they get these numbers from
a berkshire hathaway meeting or am I just living in a very real
black hole.Just wanted to know if anyone else think's this doesnt
make sense. Thanks for reading

[KevO]

the darkest hour is just before dawn.
Rome has been ignited, the markets are fiddling.
Coyote has run off the cliff but is yet to look down then it's
shhhhooooooooooooosssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhh

splat



.

[gnm]

Oh and inflation is not happening either. And this country can run fine on massive deficits.
shhhhhhhhhh.
go back to sleep.........



-G

[firestarter]

consumer confidence


Good! The sooner to peak oil, the better. Nothing like the always dependable deluded masses to provide the catalyst for the coming fast bitchslap to reality.

[emersonbiggins]

well, that explains why new home sales are up

wait, no they're not.

[Zardoz]

Apparently, only 5000 families are surveyed:

http://www.conference-board.org/economi ... idence.cfm

The Consumer Confidence Survey is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households. The monthly survey is conducted for The Conference Board by TNS. TNS is the world's largest custom research company.

So we can trust this outfit and it's little survey to tell us how we all feel about what is going on, huh?

Makes sense to me!

[FoxV]

This number is probably as reliable as the inflation and employment statistics.

its seems the fed is making sure to manipulate things for them to continue raising interest rates. After all the dollar must be supported at all costs, even if it means killing the millions of idiots out there with Interest only mortgages (and their loan officers, banks, realtors, lawyers, etc...)


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ben Bernanke', 'F')ull steam ahead Helmsman. I don't care about Icebergs. This economy is unsinkable

[Free]

Well you know, not everybody is a miserable, hysterical doomer-loser.

Delusional stupid ignorant optimists do really exist, believe me...

[TommyJefferson]

From the publishers:

http://www.conference-board.org/economics/consumer.cfm

--------------------------------------------
[excerpted]

Consumer Confidence Survey Methodology

"The Consumer Confidence Survey is conducted for The Conference Board by TNS as a mail survey.

The questionnaires are mailed on the first of the month to a nationwide representative sample of 5,000 households. Samples are representative based on key demographics and geographics as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Index is based on responses to 5 questions included in the survey:

For each of the 5 questions, there are three response options: POSITIVE, NEGATIVE and NEUTRAL.

1. Respondents appraisal of current business conditions.
2. Respondents expectations regarding business conditions six months hence.
3. Respondents appraisal of the current employment conditions.
4. Respondents expectations regarding employment conditions six months hence.
5. Respondents expectations regarding their total family income six months hence.

The response proportions to each question are seasonally adjusted.

For each question, the average RELATIVE for the calendar year 1985 is then used as a benchmark to yield the INDEX value for that question.

The Indexes are then averaged together

[strider3700]

Consumers think that they are currently doing well hence the 107ish number reported.

The telling number is the consumers view of 6 months from now, It was in the mid 80's Even the general public is starting to see a doomer future.

Basically they are starting to think things are going to get worse.

[dhfenton]

The consumer confidence index is really just a fear index. If people think they're in jeapoardy of losing their jobs the index drops, if they think they keep the job, it goes up. Really doesn't have any relavence to the economy, except that it might reflect on the propensity to buy durable goods. As the reality of the housing bubble sets in, you'll see this index drop rapidly as people become aware that they owe more for their home than they can sell it for. We've got a whole bunch of people in this country that bought Mcmansions, and they're about to find out that they have a negative net worth. Not a very uplifting situation.