Consumer confidence in the U.S. declined for five weeks straight and has reached its lowest level, according to a Bloomberg report.
The decline in confidence was attributed to the government shutdown that plagued the U.S. economy for 16-straight days. The report said that the recent government gridlock had far deeper impact to consumers than the two previous shutdowns in 1995 and 1996.
According to the Bloomberg Consumer Confidence Index, households showed signs of pessimism about their finances and overall consumer climate. The index fell and ended on Oct. 27 to -37.6 from -36.1, considered to be the weakest sentiment since Oct. 2012.
Consumer pessimism was exacerbated by limited employment opportunities and have weighed down consumer purchases.
"The combination of fiscal follies in the nation's capital, slower economic activity and a deceleration in hiring clearly has impacted consumer confidence. While sentiment is likely to rebound in coming weeks, it may not rise to pre-crisis levels." said Joseph Brusuelas, a senior economist at Bloomberg LP in New York.
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