U.S. Consumer Comfort at 17-Year High on Record GOP Sentiment

U.S. consumer sentiment advanced to a new 17-year high on record confidence among Republicans and broad improvement across economic, financial and purchasing moods, the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index showed Thursday.

The fourth-straight improvement in confidence comes amid signs that the world’s largest economy continues to grow at a solid pace, with stocks hitting fresh records. Also helping underpin the more upbeat mood is one of the best job markets in a half century, with Labor Department figures due Friday forecast to show demand for workers pushed the jobless down to match the lowest since 1969.