This month's half-percentage-point decline in the Conference Board's consumer confidence index was a result of mixed views on business conditions and a less-favorable view of the U.S. job market, says Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center.
The index now stands at 105.4 (1985=100), down from 105.9 in September.
"Overall, this month's readings continue to suggest a moderate pace of economic growth and more of the same for the first few months of 2007," says Franco.
The Conference Board is a New York-based business research group, and its consumer confidence index is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households.
