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- John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics
Rising consumer confidence, decrease in unemployment claims and better retail sales indicate the U.S. economy is gaining steam, despite hurdles in Europe and much of the rest of the world.
Consumer confidence improved to 64.5 in December from 55.2 in November, according to the Conference Board Inc. and unemployment claims dropped to lowest level in more than two years in the month ended December 24.
"There is a sense of decoupling," said Harris, chief economist at UBS Securities in New York, whose team was the most accurate in forecasting the U.S. economy in the two years through September. "We can still have a decent year here in the U.S. even with the rest of the world slowing down."