US consumer sentiment improves

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters): US consumer sentiment improved for the first time in six months in June as trade tensions between the US and China eased, but households worried about the economy's trajectory.

The rise in sentiment reported by the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers on Friday was, however, overshadowed by Israel's missile strikes against Iran, which boosted oil prices to multi-month highs and weighed on global stock markets.

Though consumers' inflation expectations also improved this month, higher oil prices are likely to translate into pain at the pump. Gasoline prices have been generally low this year, freeing up much needed money for spending elsewhere.

"The improvement may be short-lived if current geopolitical risks as well as the increase in oil prices continue," said Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James.