A decline of more than 40 cents in gasoline prices this month and the improving job outlook have combined to help restore consumers' confidence.

A decline of more than 40 cents (a gallon) in gasoline prices this month and the improving job outlook have combined to help restore consumers' confidence.

[Consumers] are more optimistic about the outlook than last month. Historically, this trend is prevalent during a recovery.

We could be very well in a period where this is as good as it gets. If prices at the pump keep ticking, and they actually have been ticking upward since this survey was cut off, it very well could take a bite out of confidence.

We think a lot of that is reaction to the spike in prices at the pump following Katrina.

Looking ahead, the CEOs are cautiously optimistic but not as optimistic about the short-term outlook as they were at the end of 2004.