Animal Spirits Awaken As US Consumer Confidence Soars

After a sharp increase last month, a key gauge of US consumer confidence rose further in July, suggesting lower inflation and, just maybe, rising stock and home prices, are emboldening Americans who are still waiting on that recession so many economists said was a foregone conclusion. The Conference Board's gauge printed 117 for July, five points ahead of consensus and the highest in two years. Last month's already solid print was revised up. "Headline confidence appears to have broken out of