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January 29, 2013 Though there have been other signs to indicate that the economy is on the upswing, many Americans aren't feeling all that good about how things are going.The private Conference Board reports that its widely watched consumer confidence index fell to 58.6 in January from 66.7 in December.

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April 24, 2012 After a slight decline in March, the widely watched consumer confidence index from the private Conference Board "was virtually unchanged in April," the research group reports.

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November 18, 2011 Pushed up by an increase in housing permits, the barometer of economic growth rose 0.9 percent in October.

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October 25, 2011 The widely watched consumer confidence index from the Conference Board has fallen to a level not seen since the economy was officially in recession two years ago.

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August 30, 2011 A widely watched gauge of consumers' mood is at a two-year low. That could be a warning sign for consumer spending in coming months.

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June 28, 2011 Since consumers buy about 70 percent of all goods and services, their mood is a critical indicator of how strong the economy will be in coming months. The index that gauges confidence is more than 40 points below the reading for a healthy economy.

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June 17, 2011 The gauge still points to "choppy" growth in coming months, though, according to Conference Board economists.

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May 31, 2011 Anxiety about the job market, inflation and the general economic outlook combined to push down consumer confidence in May, the private Conference Board business research group says.

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April 26, 2011 The Conference Board's widely watched consumer confidence index is one gauge of how consumers are feeling.

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March 29, 2011 Inflation fears and anxiety about personal incomes drove the decline.

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February 22, 2011 While one indicator bodes well for the economy, the other signals that problems remain.

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January 25, 2011 Since American consumers buy about 70 percent of all the goods and services produced by businesses, their mood is an important indicator of how things may go for the economy in coming months.

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December 28, 2010 Still, Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center at the Conference Board, says that "despite this month's modest decline, consumer confidence is no worse off today than it was a year ago."

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• Home Prices 'Weaken Further'

November 30, 2010 Consumers felt a bit better — a good sign for the economy if it means demand for goods and services will pick up as well.

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