NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Consumer confidence failed to snap out of an extended slump last week as an index released Tuesday stayed stuck within the five-point band it has remained since late spring.

The ABC News/Money magazine Consumer Comfort Index, comprised of ratings on the economy, personal finances, and the buying climate, stands at -20 on its scale of +100 to -100. It's the twentieth straight week the index has been between -16 and -21.

The index has averaged -21 so far this year, well below its historical -9 average. It peaked at +38 in January 2000 and bottomed out at -50 in February 1992.

Here's a closer look at the three components of the ABC/Money index:

Twenty-eight percent of Americans rate the nation's economy as excellent or good, up from 27 percent the week prior. The highest level of confidence for this category was set at 80 percent in January 2000.

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Respondents' attitudes towards their personal finances held steady as 56 percent rate their own finances as excellent or good. Consumers reported their highest feelings of confidence for this category, which stands at 70 percent, in August 1998.

But the survey's buying gauge, which measures consumers' willingness to spend, fell to its lowest level since mid-May. Thirty-six percent of Americans say it's an excellent or good time to buy things, down from 38 the previous week. The lowest level of confidence for this category was set at 20 percent in the fall of 1990.

The ABC News/Money magazine Consumer Comfort Index represents a rolling average based on telephone interviews with a random sample of about 1,000 adults nationwide each month. This week's results are based on 1,003 interviews in the month ended Oct. 5, 2003, and have an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.