By Jeffry Bartash WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The Conference Board on Tuesday said its consumer-confidence index jumped to 64.5 in December - the highest level in eight months - from a revised 55.2 in November. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were expecting the index to climb to 60.0. Consumer confidence has jumped nearly 25 points in the past three months and now sits at its highest level since April. "Consumers are more optimistic that business conditions, employment prospects and their financial situations will continue to get better," said Lynn Franco, director of the board's consumer-research center. Yet Franco also cautioned against reading too much into the data. "While consumers are ending the year in a somewhat more upbeat mood, it's too soon to tell if this is a rebound from earlier declines or a sustainable shift in attitudes." The present situation index rose to 46.7 from 38.3 and the future expectations index rose to 76.4 from 66.4, the board said. The percentage of people who expect more jobs to be available in coming months moved up to 13.3% from 12.4%.

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