January results from the Conference Board's (CB) survey versus the University of Michigan's (UM) survey on the current state of the economy diverged slightly. The CB measure continued its upward movement by rising to 79.1 in January from December's 75.3, its highest since April 2008. The UM reading fell slightly to 96.8 in January from December's 98.6. However, this measure is close to its postrecession highs.
