Trump Takes Credit for Bump in Consumer Confidence
The consumer confidence index rose to a 13-year high in December.
— -- President-elect Donald Trump congratulated himself on Tuesday night for an uptick in the consumer confidence index, a closely watched economic measure.
The Conference Board reported on Tuesday that its index of consumer confidence rose to 113.7 in December — its highest level since December 2003.
Lynn Franco, the director of economic indicators at the Conference Board, credited the positive outlook to a "post-election surge in optimism for the economy, jobs and income prospects."
Trump was quick to point out the good news and credit himself, tweeting, "The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index for December surged nearly four points to 113.7, THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN MORE THAN 15 YEARS! Thanks Donald!"
Consumer confidence is considered an important barometer of U.S. economic health because consumer spending accounts for about 68 percent of the country's economic activity, according to figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.