A survey by the Conference Board economic research firm showed that the U.S. consumer confidence index rose to 107.2 in March from 105.7 in February.
The consumer confidence index was driven by strong trends in the labor market as well as a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States.
The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index is a survey of consumers’ outlook, their assessment of current and next six months’ economic conditions, personal finances, and employment.
Meanwhile, the United States reported a 17,000 drop in job openings in February.
The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics released its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Rate (JOLTS) survey, which found that the number of job openings, fell by 17,000 in the month of Feb. to 11.266 million. Feb. from 11.283 million jobs in Jan.
The number of jobs increased by 6.7 million.
The number of voluntary resignations was 4.4 million, while the rate of voluntary resignations rose to 2.9%.
The JOLTS number is a focus of the Federal Reserve (Fed) as a measure of tightness in the labor market and a factor in Fed monetary policy and interest rates.