WTF Is It Now?!?

THANK YOU, pREZNIT CLUELESS
Well duh.
Consumer confidence fell sharply in July to its lowest level in five months, undermined by a steep decline in stock prices and worries about jobs, a private research group reported Tuesday.

"The erosion in consumer confidence represents a significant deterioration in consumer attitudes" said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board's Consumer Research Center. "The continued decline in the value of stock market portfolios, coupled with ongoing reports of corporate scandals, have taken a toll on consumer confidence."

The report contributed to a decline on the stock market, which was already trading lower before the data was released Tuesday morning. In late morning trading the Dow Jones industrial average was down 150.09, or 1.7 percent, at 8,561.79. Investors were also taking profits after the Dow's 447-point gain the day before.

The outlook for jobs also soured, with 17.1 percent of consumers saying they expect fewer jobs to open up in the next six months, up from 14.3 percent. - From Yahoo news.

"Coincidentally, my retirement age is 104." - karla, at the Yahoo message board.