February - Consumer Sentiment up for 2nd Straight month

Consumer sentiment improved for the second straight month in February, amid easing worries about a double-dip recession, the government said Monday.

The index of sentiment among households made up of two or more people gained 0.8 point from January to 39.8, reaching the highest level since last October, the Cabinet office said.

However, the gauge remained below the threshold of 50, indicating that pessimistic views outnumber optimistic ones.

The index is calculated based on whether consumers expect the economy in four areas -- livelihoods, income growth, employment and willingness to buy durable goods -- will "improve," "improve somewhat," "remain unchanged," "deteriorate somewhat" or "deteriorate" over the coming six months.

All the components marked increases. Livelihoods rose 0.9 point to 40.7, income growth grew 0.9 point to 38.8, employment jumped 1.1 points to 34.2 and willingness to buy durable goods gained 0.1 point to 45.4.

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