Lynn Franco

While mass retailers got a lift from a late-season holiday sales surge, consumer confidence waned in December, according to a major economic benchmark. consumer confidence, Consumer Confidence Index, The Conference Board, Lynn Franco, state of the economy, mass retailers, holiday sales

The Conference Board reported Tuesday morning that consumer confidence declined in July for the second straight month. And yet there are signs that back-to-school shopping isn't going to be a disaster. In the most recent week, sales rose 0.6 percent from the week before and were up 3.8 percent from the year before. Sales have risen from the week before in six of the last nine weeks; and over the past two months, weekly sales have been up between 2.5 percent and 4.2 percent from the year before.