NEW YORK, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The Conference Board of New York said Tuesday consumer confidence rose in January to a six-month high.
The board's consumer confidence index rose to 103.4 from 102.7 in December.
Wall Street economists expected confidence to fall to 101.
A gauge of optimism about the current situation rose to 110.9 from 105.7 in December.
The component of the confidence index that tracks consumers' expectations for the next six months fell to 98.4 from 100.7.
The board surveys 5,000 households on general economic conditions, their employment prospects and spending plans.
Three straight gains in the current situations index suggests "consumers will not dramatically alter their spending in the months ahead," said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board's consumer research center.
The report showed the percentage of consumers who saw jobs as hard to get declined to 24.7 percent, the lowest since August 2002, from 26.4 percent.
The percentage who saw jobs as plentiful rose to 20.7 percent, the highest since May 2002, compared with 19.4 percent in December.
The survey also found consumers had mixed spending plans during the coming six months. More people said they were planning a vacation and buy a used car, while plans to purchase homes and appliances declined.
