Consumer confidence hits 13-year high

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Yes, because the average American has that much insight into macroeconomics.

I understand they're quite good at picking winners at the horse track, too.

At most, the consumer confidence index can be a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy if enough people take it seriously and adopt the alleged prevailing mood as their own. To the extent that this could affect demand, it would have an effect on prices.

But 'consumer confidence' has fuck all to do with a significantly large number of people making careful assessments of the economy based on useful metrics and then acting on their conclusions. Most people buy the shit they want when they can afford it (and many when they can't) without much concern with longer-term projections. Economic activity is shot through with irrationality, as the Nobel committee recognized last week.