SUCH A SUCCULENT SOUND:

Consumer confidence hits 2-year high (Jeannine Aversa, 2/08/07, AP)

Consumer confidence climbed to a 2½-year high with people feeling even better about job prospects, the current economic climate and investment opportunities.

The improvement comes as national job growth, while slowing a bit, remains fundamentally healthy. Workers' paychecks are going further as gasoline and other prices ebb. And, interest rates -- including those on mortgages and other consumer loans -- are stable and attractive.