The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been on the rise, even climbing over 10,000 in recent days, but overall consumer sentiment remains low for many Americans, according to the latest Consumer Reports Index (CRI), a composite of the Sentiment Index, Trouble Tracker Index, Stress Index, Retail Index, and Employment Index.

Mounting job losses and the continued credit crunch are behind that lack of exuberance. Still, it's not all doom and gloom out there. The retail market might be stabilizing, bolstered by a September uptick in major-appliance purchases, according to the CRI. Home sales also rose for the month, says the CRI, perhaps the result of buyers scrambling to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, which will expire November 30 unless Congress votes to extend it.

Looking ahead, according to the CRI, planned purchases for personal electronics and major home electronics are at their highest level in months, which could bode well for the holidays.

The Consumer Reports Index is a monthly telephone poll of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. The Consumer Reports National Research Center completed 1,000 interviews of adults aged 18-plus between October 1 and October 4, 2009. The margin of error is +/-3.2 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Before you buy new appliances, read our FAQ on the $300 million cash for clunkers for appliances program.