Consumer confidence down after S&P report (by Steve Goldstein)
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Consumer confidence has slumped since Standard & Poor's put the U.S. debt outlook on negative and is barely above 2011 lows, according to a report released Wednesday. Since Monday morning, the Rasmussen Consumer Index shows confidence has fallen eight points to 74.4, and a separate poll on investor confidence is the weakest since last September. The indexes are compiled through nightly telephone interviews and reported on a three-day rolling average basis. As a result, two-thirds of the interviews for today's update were completed after the S&P announcement.