Washington ? Americans are growing slightly more optimistic about the path the country is on, according to a new Ipsos-McClatchy poll.

Some 46 percent of Americans said the country was headed in the right direction, while 48 percent said it was on the wrong track, according to the survey of 1,005 adults taken last Thursday through Monday.

In a similar survey taken July 9-13, only 40 percent said the nation was headed in the right direction, and 54 percent said it was on the wrong track.

The improving public mood coincides with a stock market rebound and increasing evidence that the economy is poised for a comeback. The new survey also found that 56 percent think the economy has stabilized, up from 49 percent earlier in July.

In addition, the poll indicates that President Barack Obama’s job-approval rating has leveled out after suffering some erosion earlier in the summer, with 58 percent now saying that they approve of his job performance and 37 percent disapproving, virtually the same as in the previous survey but still down from the mid-60s ratings he had through the spring.