RetailSails

Consumer confidence in the U.S. improved for a second straight week and climbed to a four-week high as more Americans said their finances were in better shape.

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index rose to -39.3 for the week ending May 27th, up from -42.0 the prior week which and the highest since the last week of April. Views on the state of the economy improved to -66.5 from -68.7, the index of personal finances increased to -6.4 from 10.8 and confidence in the buying climate rose to -45.1 from -46.5 last week.

“While the recent decline in gasoline prices and slower pace of initial claims may have bolstered consumer comfort over the past week, overall sentiment remains in the doldrums,” said Joseph Brusuelas, a senior economist at Bloomberg LP in New York. “Given the looming crisis in Europe and the weak pace of hiring in the economy, risks to the consumer outlook remain elevated roughly midway through 2012.”

The comfort index has been higher among Democrats than Republicans for 10 consecutive weeks, beating previous streaks of six weeks in late 1996 and five weeks in mid-2011. Sentiment has been 28.9 points lower on average among Democrats versus Republicans in data since 1990, according to the report. Sentiment among independent voters improved to- 40 last week from -44.4. Confidence among Democrats and Republicans also picked up.

“The movements mark the uncertain state of consumer sentiment amid the economic and political crosscurrents of a still-struggling economy in a presidential election year,” said Gary Langer, president of Langer Research Associates LLC in New York, which compiles the index for Bloomberg.