Consumer confidence falls 3.7 points in January

Consumer confidence is down 3.7 points to 61.1 points for the month ending on Jan. 19, according to the latest report from The Conference Board.

Consumer confidence had back-to-back gains in November and December, but slipped again in January, falling down to November levels, according to Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center.

“Consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions turned more downbeat and is back to November 2011 levels,” she said in a statement. “Regarding the short-term outlook, consumers are more upbeat about employment, but less optimistic about business conditions and their income prospects. Recent increases in gasoline prices may have consumers feeling a little less confident this month.”

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch.