Improved job prospects top concern of consumers. The relatively small recent loss in consumer confidence in February was concentrated among households with below median incomes, and focused on future economic prospects, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The worst of the pandemic may be nearing its end, but few consumers anticipate the […]

Preliminary Results from University of Michigan surveys showed relatively small declines in sentiment given resurgence in pandemic and political unrest. The University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment declined in January compared to December and January last year based upon preliminary results for the month. The Index of Consumer Sentiment stood at 79.2, a decline […]

Election and COVID-19 resurgence weigh on consumers in University of Michigan survey. Consumer sentiment remained largely unchanged in October with gains in the prospects for the overall economy offset by declines in buying attitudes, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The expected improvements in the economy were largely driven by those who […]

Despite increase, substantial portion of population still suffering from job losses and reduced income. Consumer sentiment continued to improve in late September, with the Sentiment Index reaching its highest level in six months, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The Consumer Sentiment Index was 80.4 in September, up from 74.1 in August […]

Consumer sentiment sank further in late July due to the continued resurgence of the coronavirus, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The Consumer Sentiment Index was 72.5 in the July 2020 survey, down from 78.1 in June and well below last year’s 98.4. The Expectations Index fell to 65.9 in July, down […]

Low interest rates and discounts on household durables and vehicles attracting increased spending. Consumer confidence rose moderately in June along with the reopening of the economy in several parts of the country, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The Consumer Sentiment Index was 78.1 in the June 2020 survey, up from 72.3 […]

Consumers expect the economy to improve but remain distressed. Following April’s record one-month decline, consumer confidence inched upward in May by an insignificant amount, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The Sentiment Index fell 27.7% below last May’s level, with the falloff in evaluations of current conditions and future prospects posting declines […]

Consumer confidence came in better than expected in the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers. The Index of Consumer Sentiment was 73.7 for May 2020, up 2.6% from April but down 26.3 percent from May 2019. According to Richard Curtin, Surveys of Consumers chief economist, confidence inched upward in early May as the CARES relief […]

Consumer sentiment tumbled 11.9 index points in March, the fourth-largest one-month decline in nearly a half century, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 89.1 in the March 2020 survey, down from 101.0 in February and 98.4 in last March’s survey. The Expectations Index […]