U.S. consumer confidence was largely unchanged between June and July, holding to the lofty heights that were last seen near the beginning of 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic throttled the U.S. and global economies, the Associated Press reported. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index inched up in July to 129.1, above last month’s reading of 128.9. It’s the sixth straight month that the measurement has risen. The appraisal of current business conditions among Americans ticked up slightly to 160.3, from 159.6 in June. Short term expectations came in at 108.4, barely down from 108.5 last month. Consumers’ view of the labor market was essentially flat from June to July, with 54.9% of consumers saying jobs are “plentiful,” up from 54.7%.
