September 27, 2006	Wednesday	Ramazan 3, 1427

WASHINGTON, Sept 26: US consumers see a brighter economic picture ahead, shaking off some of the gloom of recent months linked to soaring energy costs, a survey showed on Tuesday.

The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index rebounded to 104.5 in September from a revised 100.2 in August. That was better than the figure of 103 expected on Wall Street.

Confidence, while often difficult to measure, is seen as a harbinger of consumer spending, which accounts for some two-thirds of US economic activity.

The report is closely watched by financial markets because of concerns about a slowdown in the world’s biggest economy.

A month ago, the Conference Board reported confidence had slipped to its lowest level of the year.

But in September, “a more favourable assessment of current conditions coupled with a less pessimistic short-term outlook boosted confidence,” said Lynn Franco, of the business research group.—AFP