Bloomberg: Consumer Confidence Second Highest Since January 2008

The weekly Consumer Comfort Index, which accounts for views of the buying-climate and personal finances, was little changed at 38.2.

The cheapest gas since the end of 2010, more employment opportunities and record equity prices are helping bolster households' perceptions. At the same time, limited wage growth is reining optimism about finances and whether it's a good time to buy as the holiday-shopping season gets under way.

The consumer comfort index last week was the second-highest since January 2008, and followed a 38.1 reading the period before. The figure is holding above this year's average of 36, and 34.3 in 2013.

The buying-climate measure, which asks whether this is a good time to make purchases, declined to 31.9 last week from 32.7, while the gauge of personal finances was little changed at 53.9 compared with 54.1 the prior period, a two-month high.

Lower prices at the pump are boosting Americans' purchasing power at a time when wages are slow to pick up. The nationwide average for a gallon of gasoline was $2.92 on November 12, down 78 cents from a high this year in April and the lowest since December 2010, according to AAA, the largest U.S. auto group.

The drop continues to resonate at the lower end of the income scale. Today's report showed confidence among those earning less than $50,000 a year increased to the highest level since August 2013.