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WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. consumer sentiment for early October rebounded, signaling the U.S. consumers have not been much affected by the recent financial turmoil, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment showed Friday.
The preliminary reading of the consumer sentiment for October increased from 87.2 in September to 92.1 at present, the first increase in fourth months.
"The rebound in confidence signifies that consumers have concluded that the fears expressed on Wall Street did not extend to Main Street," said survey director Richard Curtin. "Importantly, the renewed confidence did not simply represent a relief rally, but instead reflected renewed optimism. Personal financial expectations rose to their highest level since 2007."
The sub-index of current conditions, reflecting Americans' perceptions of their financial situation and whether they consider it a good time to buy big-ticket items like cars, increased to 106.7 from 101.2 last month.
The sub-index gauging consumer expectations for six months from now, which more closely projects the direction of consumer spending, rose to 82.7 from 78.2 in September.
