Updated: 24-Feb-26 10:20 ET
Highlights
- The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index increased to 91.2 in February (Briefing.com consensus: 86.0) from an upwardly revised 89.0 (from 84.5) in January.
- In the same period a year ago, the index stood at 100.1.
- The Present Situation Index dropped to 120.0 from 121.8.
- The Expectations Index rose to 72.0 from 67.2; however, that was the thirteenth straight reading below 80, which is a level that typically signals recession ahead.
- 12-month inflation expectations dipped to 5.5% from 5.6% in January.
- The key takeaway from the report is that the month-over-month improvement was driven by increased expectations, with all three components of the index—income, business, and labor market conditions—advancing from January.
| Category | FEB | JAN | DEC | NOV | OCT |
| Conference Board | 91.2 | 89.0 | 94.2 | 92.9 | 95.5 |
| Expectations | 72.0 | 67.2 | 74.6 | 70.7 | 71.8 |
| Present Situation | 120.0 | 121.8 | 123.6 | 126.3 | 131.2 |
| Employment ('plentiful' less 'hard to get') | 7.4 | 6.8 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 10.3 |
| 1 yr inflation expectations | 5.5% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.8% | 5.7% |
