It seems like a mixed bag looking at some of the March surveys on consumer confidence and sentiment. A Conference Board survey of consumer confidence released earlier this week showed a slight rebound in March – the first increase on the year – even as many remain skeptical. However, some experts report that the improvement is actually a result of a downward revision in February’s initial data. Meanwhile, the Survey of Consumers conducted regularly by the University of Michigan saw consumer sentiment readings for March fall by 3.4 points down to 59.4 from the February reading. Continuing high inflation is believed to be the primary cause of rising pessimism followed by the economic disruption associated with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.