Consumer Confidence Plunges

In a conference call with beer industry investors sponsored by Legg Mason's Mark Swartzberg, Dr. Richard Curtin, director of the Univ. of Michigan's ongoing Survey of Consumers, reports that consumer confidence has plunged recently in the wake of high gas prices and hurricanes.In his presentation, Dr. Curtin gave a dour view of the mood of the American consumer, reporting that September and August both had sharp declines in consumer confidence, with September's 12.2 point decline the worst since the survey