Consumer confidence levels jumped in September compared with the previous month. The Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for September moved up to 73.5 - the highest reading since January 2008 - from 65.7 in August and 66.0 in July. The end-September figure was higher than the 70.2 in the preliminary September index. Economists had expected a lower end-September reading of 70.5. The current conditions index for September was 73.4, compared with a reading of 66.6 in August and 70.5 in July, while the expectations index was 73.5 in September from 65.0 in August and after a reading of 63.2 in July. The expectations index was at its highest since September 2007. The one-year inflation expectations reading was 2.2% in September after 2.8% in August, and the five-year inflation reading was 2.8% after 2.8% last month.