US Consumer Sentiment Hits 9-Month High In April

(Reuters) -- U.S. consumer sentiment rose in April to its highest level in nine months as both current conditions and expectations brightened, a survey released on Friday showed. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary April reading on the overall index of consumer sentiment came in at 82.6, the highest since July, compared with the final reading of 80.0 in March. It was also above the median forecast of 81.0 among economists polled by Reuters.