Consumer confidence was up last month, a...

Consumer confidence was up last month, a recent survey sponsored by the Conference Board said. The business-sponsored research organization’s consumer confidence index stood at 110.9 in January, up 3 points from December. With the increase, the index has regained two-thirds of the loss it posted following October’s stock market collapse. The index is based on interviews with 5,000 households across the nation. Of those surveyed, 26% characterized current business conditions as good, while less than 18% said conditions were bad.