US consumer confidence ticks higher on better outlook for hiring Boston 25 News [Video]

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Americans’ outlook on the economy improved modestly in November, lifted by expectations for lower inflation and more hiring.

The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index ticked up to 111.7 from 109.6 in October. The small increase followed a big gain in October.

Rising consumer confidence suggests Americans may spend more in the coming months, which would help boost economic growth. Yet Americans have been spending at a healthy clip for much of the past two years even as confidence measures have been low, a sign that sentiment surveys may not be as useful a guide to the economy’s direction as they were in the past.

The uptick comes after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. The Conference Board doesn’t break out its responses by party, but another measure of consumer sentiment by the University of Michigan showed that optimism about the economy …