Americans shook off some of their concerns about the economy this month, but a surprise fall in house prices in September underscored the weak foundations of the recovery.

Consumer sentiment rebounded in November from a 30-month low last month and US retailers reported strong sales as the holiday shopping season got off to a positive start last week.

The Conference Board said yesterday its index of consumer attitudes jumped to 56.0 from 40.9 in October, hitting the highest level since July and topping economists’ forecasts for 44.0. “This is a huge rise in consumer confidence. It gets us back to second-quarter levels,” said Lindsey Piegza, economist at FTN Financial. – (Reuters)