MW; Oct. consumer confidence falls for second month
By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumers became more cautious in October, the Conference Board said Tuesday. The consumer confidence index fell to 47.7 in October from an upwardly revised 53.4 in September. Economists expected the index to hold steady at around 53.2. The September confidence index was revised up from the initial estimate of 53.1. The present situation index fell to 20.7 from 23.0, its lowest level in 26 years. The expectations index fell to 65.7 from 73.7 in September. Consumers were more pessimistic about the labor market, with those claiming jobs are "hard to get" rising to 49.6% from 47.0% in the prior month.
