Mass. consumer confidence up

A Massachusetts consumer confidence index increased five points to 97 during the second quarter, even as national consumer confidence fell, according to a report made public today.

The index is issued by Mass Insight Corp., a Boston-based research and consulting firm that seeks to keep Massachusetts and its businesses globally competitive, and the increase reinforces recent data showing that the state economy is growing faster than the national economy for the first time in years, the group said.

The index measured 92 in January and 76 in April 2006, Mass Insight said.

For comparison, Mass Insight looks to the national consumer confidence index measured by the Conference Board Inc., a research organization with offices in New York.

According to Mass Insight, the Conference Board's national consumer confidence index posted a current reading of 104, down from 110 in the previous quarter.

"We are moving in the right direction," Mass Insight president William Guenther said in a statement. "But we can't lose sight of the fact that consumer confidence in Massachusetts still lags the nation."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)