Economic confidence climbs to highest level since June 2013

Economic confidence in the United States has climbed to the highest level since June 2013, according to a survey released Tuesday by Gallup.

Last week, the index averaged -8, which is the highest weekly rating since the week of June 30 last year, Gallup found. 

{mosads}Before late September, the index had fluctuated between -13 and -21, but it has increased about 10 points in the last two months. 

Gallup said the current index is now just five points below the -3 recorded in the beginning of June 2013 — the highest weekly reading since 2008. 

The confidence index is the average of the public’s views of current economic conditions and whether they believe the economy will improve or worsen.

Last week, nearly a quarter of people in the U.S. said the economy was “excellent” or “good.” Close to 30 percent said it was “poor.” Forty-two percent, meanwhile, said the economy is improving and just over half said it’s getting worse. 

Gallup said last week the index average for October clocked in at -12, which was the most positive score in more than a year.

At the beginning of 2009, shortly after the recession hit, Gallup measured the index to be -58.

The survey polled 3,548 adults between Nov. 3 to 9 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.