Consumer confidence still on the rise in Florida

Consumers don’t seem to be sweating the mess in Washington.

A confidence index in Florida rose again this month, despite ongoing cutbacks in federal spending and wobbly employment reports across the country. The University of Florida index hit 79 in April, the highest since last fall.

The UF numbers come the same day that the Conference Board reported a surge in national confidence, with a six-point gain wiping out a six-point loss from March, when a sweeping package of federal spending cuts called the “sequester” began.

Monthly swings in the UF index can be dismissed as statistical noise, but the overall trend shows a state gradually feeling better about the economy. A 12-month average of the index sunk to 68 in the end of 2011, and has gone up eight points since to 76.

Despite the angst over the national economy, Florida is in the midst of a real estate rebound, eroding the damage done to assets at the core of many Floridians’ net worth.

The Miami Herald’s Economic Time Machine blog seeks to put South Florida’s recovery into historical perspective. We try to take the long view on economic stats. For analysis of the latest economic news, visit miamiherald.com/economic-time-machine and look for our weekly chart on Page 3 of Business Monday.

Read more The Economic Time Machine stories from the Miami Herald

ECONOMIC TIME MACHINE

Case-Shiller housing numbers hit another post-boom record this spring

Home prices rose 12 percent in April in South Florida, the best gain in seven years, according to the Case-Shiller index.
BUSINESS OF SPORTS

Miami Marlins account for 20 percent of baseball’s declining ticket sales

Few numbers look good for the Marlins as they struggle through their second season at a new ballpark. The team went from leading the way in higher ticket sales to having a firm hold on last place in that category.
ECONOMIC TIME MACHINE

Case-Shiller: Property values up 11 percent in South Florida

Property values record their 15th month of gains, the longest streak since the housing crash began in 2006.

Get the Miami Herald's Business News
VIA EMAIL

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.