RBC Financial Group reports that consumer confidence is on its way back up, after seven months of a downward spiral. The CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household) Index jumped 30.1 points to reach 38.3 - the first improvement since September 2008.

Another encouraging sign is that according to the RBC survey, 39 percent of people believe their local economy will be stronger next month, a 9 percent jump from March. However, confidence in the job market remains low - 37 percent say it's likely they or someone they know will lose their job in the next six months, compared with 39 percent of respondents last month.