Consumer sentiment improved in December, as the RealClearMarkets/TIPP Economic Optimism Index, the first monthly read on U.S. consumer confidence, rose from 43.9 in November to 47.9, a robust 4.0 points or 9.1 percent gain. Still, the index stayed below the neutral 50 level for the fourth straight month, keeping the nation in what we classify as the pessimistic zone.
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