Courtesy of ZeroHedge. View original post here.
UMich Sentiment slid from its earlier flash print, but at 102.0 was the highest since April 2004.
Notably, ‘current conditions’ hit a new record high, while hope dipped a little…
Most notably, as UMich’s Curtin points out, all of the March gain in the Sentiment Index was among households with incomes in the bottom third (+14.1); those in the middle third were unchanged, while the Index fell among households in the top third (-5.6)
“Households with incomes in the top third cited significantly greater concerns with government economic policies than last month, especially trade policies, with net references falling from +31 to just +1, offsetting their positive reactions to tax policies”
Recent financial progress was reported by 57% of all households in March, which tied the 1998 all-time peak since the Michigan survey first began in 1946.
Income gains were cited by 46%, the highest level since 2000, and rising home values were cited by 62%.
While six-in-ten consumers reported that the overall economy had recently improved, half as many anticipated additional gains in the pace of economic growth during the year ahead.