NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Americans' views on the economy remained essentially unchanged for the third consecutive week, stabilizing after a sharp decline in late April, according to an ABC News/Money magazine poll.

The ABC News/Money magazine Consumer Comfort index, based on opinions about the economy, personal finance, and buying climate, improved one point to negative four on a basis of positive 100 to negative 100 for the month ending May 5.

Views on the national economy improved one percentage point, as 42 percent of those polled rated the economy as excellent or good.

Opinions on buying climate rose one percentage point as well, as 60 percent of those surveyed said their finances are in excellent or good shape.

Americans' views on buying climate remained unchanged, as 42 percent said it's a good or excellent time to buy things they want or need.

The ABC News/Money magazine consumer confidence index represents a rolling average based on telephone interviews with about 1,000 adults nationwide. The latest week's results are based on 1,004 interviews in the month ended May 5 and have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.