A Spike for the Better in Consumer Views

Consumer sentiment took a highly unusual positive spike this week, improving to its best since early January. The question: whether it can hold and build.

The ABC News Consumer Comfort Index jumped by 6 points to -43 on its scale of +100 to -100. While the index still is grim, its advance is impressive: The CCI has improved by 6 or more points in single week just 11 times in 1,264 weekly polls since late 1985.

As good as the gain is, a one-week boost does not make it party time. Confidence is just a little less awful: Ninety percent of Americans still rate the economy negatively (27 points more than average), 54 percent rate their own finances negatively (10 points more than average and more than half for 43 of the last 44 weeks) and 71 percent call it a bad time to spend money.

Click here for Amanda Rohaly's full report.