U.S. consumer confidence resumes its upward trend in October

Record another, positive data point for the U.S. economy, as consumer confidence unexpectedly rose to 49.5 in November from a revised 48.7 in October, The Conference Board announced Tuesday.

A Bloomberg News survey of economists had expected the index to total 47 in November. It reached 53.5 in September, and 54.5 in August, after hitting a record low of 25.3 in February (base year, 1985=100). Meanwhile, the present-situation index was virtually unchanged in November, at 21 compared to a 21.1 reading in October.