Consumers to the rescue!Consumer confidence data helped inspire an amazing rally Tuesday and now the question is whether the markets can build on that. Indices remain just about 1.5% below all-time highs, and the focus remains on policy making in Washington. Things look a bit flat at the start of the day.Consumer confidence measured by the Conference Board reached 16-year highs and helped end the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s ($DJI) eight-day losing streak. March consumer confidence swelled to 125.6, which was way above the 113 predicted by Wall Street analysts (see below). A sell-off in bonds helped give financial stocks a boost, and higher oil prices contributed to an energy sector rally.Though there’s still a somewhat negative tone on Wall Street even after yesterday, it’s important to keep in mind that the Nasdaq (COMP) could be up for the fifth month in a row, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DJI) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) have a chance to close flat on the month, though both are a little lower with a few days left of trading in March. Remember to keep things in perspective, because despite last week’s sell-off, things don’t look all that bad.via