Confidence among Americans climbed to a 20-year high amid record optimism about personal finances and the buying climate, the latest indication that upbeat consumers are poised to keep the record-long economic expansion chugging along.

Bloomberg’s index of consumer comfort rose 1.3 points to 67.3 in the week ended Jan. 26, according to a report Thursday. Measures of finances and buying were the strongest in more than 34 years of weekly surveys, while sentiment about the economy advanced to the best reading since 2000.

Key Insights

• Upbeat Americans are enjoying strong labor-market conditions, with the main unemployment rate sitting at a half-century low, plus stock prices that jumped by 29% last year. The cheapest gasoline prices since early March are contributing to brighter views of the buying climate.
• The composition of the comfort survey showed broad-based gains as several sub-indexes advanced to records, including measures for those ages 45-54, home owners, married individuals and full-time workers. The category for high-school graduates jumped 3.1 points to match a previous peak.
• The solid comfort readings come as other confidence measures remain elevated in January. The Conference Board’s index increased to a five-month high on brighter views of labor-market conditions, while the University of Michigan’s index remains near one of the best levels in almost two decades.
• The comfort reading for Republicans rose 1.2 points to a record 82.7, a sign they’re looking past President Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings, though measures for Democrats and independents advanced even more on the week, notching gains of about 2 points.