Consumer confidence

Americans are brimming with confidence, despite trade wars and recession signs 

You need a lot of confidence to buy a big-ticket item like a home. And, Americans were brimming with assurance this month about the economy and the labor market. The Conference Board’s gauge of present conditions jumped to 177.2 for August, the highest reading in almost 19 years, according to a report on Tuesday. That left a lot of economists scratching their heads.