Updated: 26-May-26 10:23 ET
Highlights
- The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index slipped to 93.1 in May (Briefing.com consensus: 92.0) from an upwardly revised 93.8 (from 92.8) in April.
- In the same period a year ago, the index stood at 98.4.
- The Present Situation Index dropped to 121.2 from 124.4.
- The Expectations Index rose to 74.4 from 73.4. That is the sixteenth straight reading below 80, which is a level that typically signals recession ahead.
- 12-month inflation expectations were steady at 6.2%.
- The key takeaway from the report is that inflation pressures had consumers feeling less optimistic about current conditions; however, those same pressures did not squash expectations for better conditions six months from now.
| Category | MAY | APR | MAR | FEB | JAN |
| Conference Board | 93.1 | 93.8 | 92.2 | 91.0 | 89.0 |
| Expectations | 74.4 | 73.4 | 71.0 | 72.6 | 67.2 |
| Present Situation | 121.2 | 124.4 | 124.1 | 118.7 | 121.8 |
| Employment ('plentiful' less 'hard to get') | 6.9 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 6.8 |
| 1 yr inflation expectations | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
