Washington, DC, October 27, 2006--Consumer sentiment strengthened slightly in late October, according to media reports Friday of proprietary research from the University of Michigan. The UMich consumer sentiment index inched higher to 93.6 in late October from 92.3 earlier in the month. It's the highest since July 2005. Economists were expecting the index to remain steady at 92.3. The index is above the 85.4 level in September. The current conditions index rose to 107.3 in late October from 106.1 earlier in the month. This is up from 96.6 in September and is the highest since April. The expectations index rose to 84.8 in late October from 83.4 previously. The index is up from 78.2 in September. It's the highest since July 2005.
