ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment fell in August by 13.4% from July, recording the least favorable economic prospects in more than a decade, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The Sentiment Index has only recorded larger losses in six other monthly surveys since 1978, with the largest losses in how consumers viewed future economic… Continue reading Plunge in confidence due to economics, emotions

ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment rebounded in June to the second-highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. All of the June gain was among households with incomes above $100,000, and mainly in the way they judged the future economic outlook, said U-M economist Richard Curtin, director of… Continue reading Stronger economy anticipated amid appreciable risks

ANN ARBOR—The April survey recorded continued gains in consumer confidence due to a growing sense that the upward momentum in jobs and incomes is likely to persist, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The renewed confidence is due to record federal stimulus spending, both recent and proposed, as well as the positive… Continue reading Record job prospects outweigh inflation concerns

ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment rose in March, reaching its highest level in a year—mainly due to the third disbursement of relief checks and better-than-anticipated vaccination progress, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. As prospects for obtaining vaccination have grown, so too has people’s impatience with isolation, as those concerns were voiced by nearly… Continue reading U-M Surveys of Consumers: Rising employment, inflation anticipated