NEW YORK (Reuters) - American consumers’ confidence fell in the latest week to just one point away from its all-time low, helped by a historical low in positive views on the buying climate, a survey showed on Tuesday.

The ABC News Consumer Comfort Index fell to -50 in the week to August 10 from -49 in the previous week. Its all-time low was -51, reached in May.

The index components were mixed, with positive views on personal finances down 1 percentage point to 47 percent and those on the buying climate down 1 percentage point to a record 18 percent. Views on the national economy were unchanged at 10 percent.

Earlier on Tuesday, Investor’s Business Daily and TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence said their IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index climbed to 42.8 in August from July’s 37.4, which was the lowest reading in the seven-year-old survey’s history.

Confidence measures are generally viewed as a barometer of consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of the U.S. economy. However, economists note that consumers do not always act in accordance with their statements to surveys.

The ABC News consumer confidence survey was based on a sample of about 1,000 interviews conducted in the four weeks ending August 10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.