Updated: 25-Feb-25 10:21 ET
 |
 |
Updated: 25-Feb-25 10:21 ET |
|

Highlights
- The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index dropped to 98.3 in February (Briefing.com consensus 103.1) from an upwardly revised 105.3 (from 104.1) in January.
- This was the largest monthly decline since August 2021.
Key Factors
- The Present Situation Index fell to 136.5 from 139.9 in January.
- The Expectations Index slumped to 72.9 from 82.2 in January. This is the first sub-80 reading, which is the cutoff that usually signals a recession ahead, for the first time since June 2024.
- Average 12-month inflation expectations surged from 5.2% to 6.0% in February.
Big Picture
- The key takeaway from the report is that the drop in confidence was seen across all age groups with worries about tariffs, inflation, and future employment prospects driving the decline.
Category |
FEB |
JAN |
DEC |
NOV |
OCT |
Conference Board |
98.3 |
105.3 |
109.5 |
112.8 |
109.6 |
Expectations |
72.9 |
82.2 |
86.5 |
93.7 |
91.9 |
Present Situation |
136.5 |
139.9 |
144.0 |
141.4 |
136.1 |
Employment ('plentiful' less 'hard to get') |
17.1 |
19.4 |
22.2 |
18.4 |
16.5 |
1 yr inflation expectations |
6.0% |
5.2% |
5.1% |
5.0% |
5.2% |