Consumer Confidence drops again in April

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell by 7.9 points in April to 86.0. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions—decreased 0.9 points to 133.5. The Expectations Index—based on consumers' short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions—dropped 12.5 points to 54.4, the lowest level since October 2011. That number is also well below the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead, according to The Conference Board.