Tuesday's unexpected drop in consumer confidence marked the measure's third monthly decline in a row.

WSJ: Dow Finishes Up 125 Points

But despite some loosening of credit, the auto industry won't find many buyers until there's a marked improvement in consumer confidence, a measure that currently sits at historic lows.

FORBES: Sales

Monday's gains were spurred by news of a 12-month high in the Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence.

WSJ: Optimism Drives Dow Past Milestone

The same day a key measure of consumer confidence dropped to recessionary levels.

NPR: Stocks Tied To The Consumer Are Hot. Maybe Too Hot

One measure of consumer confidence showed it falling to its lowest level for nine years, in the second-biggest one-month drop since 1990.

ECONOMIST: On the offensive

The leading indicators the OECD uses for the UK include new car registrations, the Confederation of British Industry's business climate survey, a measure of the stocks of finished goods and a measure of consumer confidence, all weighted, added together and compared to an estimation of the trend.

BBC: The popcorn route to recovery

Meanwhile, a measure of French consumer confidence fell in March from a month earlier.

WSJ: U.S. Stocks Bounce Back

The University of Michigan measure of U.S. consumer confidence sank to a 2-year low of 74.5, in December, from 76.1, the previous month.

FORBES: The Dollar Is Drained Again

Separately, American consumer confidence reached a six-year high in July, according to one widely tracked measure.

ECONOMIST: Business this week