In December, the USA Consumer Confidence Index rose for the fifth consecutive month, with short-term inflation expectations also increasing slightly. The final value of the Michigan University Consumer Confidence Index for December rose from 71.8 last month to 74. The median estimate from economists surveyed by Bloomberg was 74.2. Data released on Friday showed that consumers expect an inflation rate of 2.8% for the coming year. They anticipate that the inflation rate will rise to 3% over the next five to ten years.