According to Business Insider, the first half of March has seen consumer sentiment rise beyond expectations.

Consumer sentiment rose to 97.8 during this period, and the increase in optimism was found to be concentrated on middle and lower-income households. This update provides a stark contrast to the disappointing sentiment ratings reported at the beginning of 2019.

The 97.8 figure is a 4.3% increase from the previous month. Lower and middle-income earners demonstrated a remarkable increase in consumer sentiment, helping pull the index higher. Overall sentiment is higher among the bottom two thirds of the distribution, although higher earners also saw an increase in the index, albeit to a lesser extent.

All income groups have a more positive outlook on US growth prospects at the moment. This news comes shortly after a few months of weaker-than-expected consumer sentiment.