The monthly consumer sentiment index from the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters rose to 84.1 from 80 the previous month, surprising many economists who had expected an 82.5. The April reading was short of the 85.1 level reached in July, which was the highest since 2007, before the Great Recession, according to rvbusiness.com. While warmer spring weather and rising home prices may boost expectations for further improvement, economic confidence has outpaced economic growth, as Lindsey Piegza of Sterne Agee tells MHProNews.com. Perhaps consumers are living with a “new, lowered bar of expectations, accepting a new normal,” she added.##

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