En 2002 fut \u00e9tablie une m\u00e9thodologie statistique pour mesurer la confiance des Am\u00e9ricains dans l’\u00e9conomie de leur pays. Il s’agit du RBC Cash Index, relev\u00e9 mensuellement \u00e0 partir de l’indice de base de 100. L’indice pour janvier vient d’\u00eatre rendu public. Il est de 56,3 et c’est le plus bas qu’on ait relev\u00e9 avec cette m\u00e9thodologie. Les explications donn\u00e9es par AP<\/a>, notamment les explications des sp\u00e9cialistes, enfoncent les portes ouvertes d’une situation \u00e9conomique per\u00e7ue comme extr\u00eamement tendue aux USA, et qui l’est effectivement, c’est-\u00e0-dire sans \u00e9v\u00e9nement accidentel exceptionnel.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abConsumer confidence fell to an all-time low as worries about jobs, energy bills and home foreclosures darkened people’s feelings about the country’s economic health and their own financial well-being.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbAccording to the RBC Cash Index, confidence tumbled to a mark of 56.3 in early January. That compares with a reading of 65.9 in December and a benchmark of 100 and was the worst since the index began in 2002.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbPeople are anxious because everything sounds pretty awful these days, said Bill Cheney, chief economist at John Hancock Financial Services Group.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbEconomists cited several factors for consumers’ gloomy outlook:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bb Hiring practically stalled in December, pushing the unemployment rate to 5 percent, a two-year high, the government reported last week.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bb The meltdown in the housing market has dragged down home values and made people feel less wealthy.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bb Harder-to-get credit has made it difficult for some to make big-ticket purchases.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bb High energy prices are squeezing wallets and pocketbooks.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbThere has been much hand-ringing on Wall Street and Main Street as to whether all these problems will plunge the country into recession.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n