U.S. consumer confidence climbed to a five-month high in July, driven by a more optimistic outlook on the economy and gasoline prices staying below their wartime highs. The final reading of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for July reached 55.2, as reported on Friday, surpassing the preliminary figure of 54.4. The survey was conducted between June 23 and July 27, a period when gasoline prices briefly dipped to their lowest since March before rising again amid renewed tensions in the Middle East.

"Consumers remain primarily focused on tangible economic issues like purchasing power, while political or military developments take a backseat," said Joanne Hsu, the survey's director, in a statement. "Despite the recent improvement in sentiment, consumer confidence is still 11% lower than a year ago, reflecting a still-pessimistic view of the overall economy."

Although high prices continue to pressure households, data released earlier this week showed that consumer spending remains resilient. The Friday report also indicated that an index measuring the buying climate for durable goods rose to its highest level since last October. Both the current conditions index and the expectations index improved compared to a month ago, with confidence rising across different income levels, age groups, education levels, and political affiliations.

Views on the long-term economic outlook reached their highest point in a year. Consumers now expect prices to rise by 4.2% over the next year, a decrease from the June reading. They also anticipate an annual inflation rate of 3.3% over the next five to ten years, unchanged from the previous month. The report noted that artificial intelligence has become a "prominent" factor in consumer discussions. Hsu noted that overall, respondents' assessments of AI were negative, although some mentioned its potential to boost productivity, albeit with possible negative impacts on the job market.