A measure tracking the economic outlook dropped to 41.5 this month, the weakest since October, from 45 in August, data from the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index showed today. The reading was the second-lowest since January 2012.

Twenty percent of those surveyed saw the economy improving, the smallest share since October, when the partial shutdown of the federal government rattled households. Bloomberg's weekly sentiment index improved as consumers grew more upbeat about their financial well-being on the heels of stock-market gains that may keep spending from faltering.

"Confidence still is subpar, marked by deep and persistent concerns about the national economy overall," said Gary Langer, president of Langer Research Associates LLC in New York, which produces the data for Bloomberg. "Stagnant incomes and lingering weakness in the job market are real challenges."