Global Stress Has Taken Its Toll on U.S. Consumer Confidence

Today’s consumer confidence report is a sign that the stressful news of recent weeks has had an impact on people in the United States. U.S. consumers’ view of the world has not been this grim since the Reagan years. A feeling of helplessness about U.S. politics may account for much of the sharp move downward from last month, according to the report, with survey respondents expressing frustration at Washington’s inability to right the economy.