Ann Arbor, MI, March 17, 2006--Consumer sentiment held steady in March, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.
The consumer sentiment remained in 86.7 in March. The number was below the consensus forecast of Wall Street economists who had expected sentiment to improve to 87.8
The survey's index of current conditions rose to 106.2 in early March from 105.6 in February.
The gauge on consumer expectations, however, went in the opposite direction, slipping slightly to 74.2 in early March from the final February reading of 74.5.
