Economic confidence creeps up

People in the U.S. are growing more confident about the economy, even as October’s government shutdown continues to take a toll, Gallup said Tuesday.

The polling company says that its economic confidence index rose to -22 last week, continuing its recovery from a -39 in mid-October.

{mosads}Still, that level remains below where the index was in the weeks leading up to the shutdown (-15) and well below May and June’s high for the year (-3).

Gallup’s confidence index is based on consumer’s perception of where the economy is now, and where it’s headed. People’s view of future conditions fell much further during the shutdown, but has bounced back significantly since then.

In general, the index snapped back quickly after mid-October, before showing more gradual improvements.