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Americans last week started feeling much more confident about the economy, pushing the Bloomberg News Consumer Comfort Index to a seven-week high and partly reversing an early-summer slump, figures released Aug. 3 showed.

The decline in filings for U.S. unemployment benefits last week underscores steady demand for workers in a tightening job market, Labor Department figures showed Aug 3.

The gain in hiring at companies in July, along with upward revisions to the prior month, is consistent with moderate growth in U.S. employment, according to data released Aug. 2 from the ADP Research Institute in Roseland, N.J.

American manufacturers turned in another solid month in July amid steady growth in production, orders and employment, according to figures from the Institute for Supply Management released Aug. 1.

Consumer spending lost momentum in June and a drop in dividend payments caused incomes to stagnate, signaling the U.S. economy may get less help from households this quarter, Commerce Department figures showed Aug. 1.

A rebound in contract signings for the purchase of previously owned U.S. homes shows housing demand is stabilizing after a three-month downturn, National Association of Realtors figures released July 31 showed.

Less enthusiasm about prospects for the U.S. economy and personal finances sent consumer sentiment to a nine-month low in July, survey data from the University of Michigan showed July 28.

The U.S. economy’s second-quarter rebound puts the expansion back on its familiar, steady path more than it heralds anything new and exciting.

Business conditions have rebounded in 2017 for companies involved in manufacturing and commodities, and the outlook remains positive for the industrial sector, according to economists at the inaugural American Trucking Associations Economic Summit.

More favorable attitudes about personal finances and the economy helped bolster Americans’ confidence last week, according to Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index figures released July 27.