U.S. Consumer Confidence Fell Only Slightly After Hurricanes

Confidence among American consumers decreased only slightly after two major hurricanes struck the U.S.

U.S. consumer confidence fell to an index level of 119.8 in September from a revised 120.4 in August, the Conference Board said Tuesday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a September reading of 119.3.

Confidence in Texas and Florida, two states that were the most severely impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, fell considerably, but the mood in the rest of the country remained fairly positive, said Lynn Franco, the Conference Board's director of economic indicators.

"Despite the slight downtick in confidence, consumers' assessment of current conditions remains quite favorable and their expectations for the short-term suggest the economy will continue expanding at its current pace," Ms. Franco said.

Write to Eric Morath at eric.morath@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 26, 2017 10:48 ET (14:48 GMT)