Third straight monthly decline as inflation worries weigh on consumers.
Consumer sentiment fell for the third consecutive month in May, dropping below its previous historical trough as supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz drove gasoline prices higher and inflation worries spread, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.
The Index of Consumer Sentiment registered 44.8 in the final May 2026 reading, down 5.0 points from 49.8 in April and 14.2% below the May 2025 reading of 52.2. The figure now stands as the lowest in the Surveys of Consumers series, 5.2 points below the prior trough of
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