NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Economic pessimism has eased on the heels of the 2004 presidential election, with the number of Americans who say the economy's worsening falling to the lowest in 10 months, a survey said Tuesday.

The ABC News/Money magazine Consumer Comfort Index stands at -6 on its scale of +100 to -100, unchanged from the previous week. The index rose 6 points in the week prior to the Nov. 2 election.

Thirty-three percent in the latest poll say the economy is getting worse, an improvement from 42 percent the prior month. It was the best reading since January, 2004.

The overall index is comprised of Americans' views on the economy, personal finances and the buying climate. Here's a closer look at each of the three components.

Forty-three percent of Americans rate the nation's economy as excellent or good, up from 41 percent a week before. Consumer confidence in this category peaked at 80 percent on Jan. 16, 2000 and bottomed out at 7 percent in late 1991 and early 1992.

Americans' confidence in their own finances also improved slightly, as 58 percent rate their fiscal health as excellent or good, up from 57 percent last week. The highest level of confidence for this category, 70 percent, was set on Aug. 30, 1998, and matched in January 2000. The worst, 42 percent, was set March 14, 1993.

But the survey's buying gauge fell as 40 percent of respondents say it's an excellent or good time to buy things, down from 42 percent last week. Consumer confidence in this category hit a high of 57 percent on Jan. 16, 2000 and a low of 20 percent in Fall 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 1,000 interviews in the month ended Nov. 14 2004, and have an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.