Americans’ confidence in the economy rose to the highest level in almost five years in October. The consumer confidence index was measured at 72.2 in October, up from 68.4 in September, and the highest numbers reported since February 2008. Job growth and hiring numbers have been creeping upwards for the past several months. The consumer confidence numbers are still below 90, which has traditionally indicated a healthy economy, but are well above the all-time low of 25.3 of February 2009. Consumers now appear to be more upbeat about their finances and the outlook for the economy. Visit Yahoo! News for the full report.