Overview
- The Conference Board index, released Tuesday, rose 0.6 points to 92.8 after March was revised to 92.2.
- Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected about 89.0, so the reading beat the consensus forecast.
- A reported ceasefire in the war with Iran lifted stock prices and brightened views of jobs during the April 1–22 survey window.
- Write-in replies skewed pessimistic with more mentions of prices, oil, gas and war as average U.S. gasoline reached about $4.18 a gallon.
- Under the hood, the Expectations Index inched up to 72.2 while the Present Situation Index slipped to 123.8, pointing to slightly firmer labor views despite softer business appraisals.