Confidence among U.S. consumers rose more than forecast in December as Americans’ outlooks improved.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment rose to 67.7, a six-month high, from 64.1 at the end of November. The median estimate of 73 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a reading of 65.8. The gauge averaged 89 in the five years leading up to the recession that began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.  Read more