Consumers are beaming south of the border, according to the latest report, which indicates sentiment surmounts what the experts were predicting for this month.
The University of Michigan data said consumer sentiment unexpectedly rose in November.
The university’s index of consumer sentiment climbed to 96.8 from 95.5 last month. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected consumer sentiment to dip to 94.9 for November. An index reflecting consumer expectations moving forward also rose to 87.3 from 84.2 in October.
Some economy watchers said consumer sentiment has been at 95 or higher in 30 of the past 35 months. That level of optimism has not been seen since the period between January 1998 and December 2000, when the index remained at 100 or above in 34 or 36 months.
