NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Ratings of current economic conditions held steady last week, but the number of Americans who thought the economy is getting worse has reached a 7-month high, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The ABC News/Money magazine consumer comfort poll said that 42 percent of Americans surveyed said the economy is still worsening, the highest level since March 2004.

The overall index stood at -11 on its scale of +100 to -100 for the week ended Oct. 17, unchanged from the week before. The index has an 18-year average of -9.

Measured separately, 37 percent of respondents -- two percentage points higher than the week of Oct. 10 -- said they are comfortable with the economy. The average peaked at 80 percent on Jan. 16, 2000 but bottomed out at 7 percent in late 1991 and early 1992.

When asked if it's a good time to buy things they want or need, 41 percent of those asked said "yes," up from 40 percent a week earlier. The highest reading in this category, 57 percent, was set on Jan. 16, 2000, and the lowest, 20 percent, in the fall of 1990.

Opinions on personal finance, however, soured as 56 percent of those polled said their finances are good or excellent, down from 58 percent the week before. The best was 70 percent on Aug. 30, 1998, which was matched in January 2000. The worst was 42 percent on March 14, 1993.

The latest ABC/Money consumer comfort index was based on a random survey of 1,000 respondents nationwide in the week ended Oct. 17. The index measures typical Americans' confidence in three areas: the national economy, their own finances, and their willingness to spend money, according to the report.