Briefing.com: Mich Sentiment

Updated: 28-Mar-25 10:14 ET

March Univ. of Michigan Consumer Sentiment - Prelim

Updated: 28-Mar-25 10:14 ET

Highlights

The final University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment for March dropped to 57.0 (Briefing.com consensus 57.9) from the preliminary reading of 57.9. The final reading for February was 64.7.
In the same period a year ago, the index stood at 79.4.

Key Factors

The Current Economic Conditions Index increased to 63.8 from the preliminary reading of 63.5. The final reading for February was 65.7. In the same period a year ago, the index stood at 82.5.
The Index of Consumer Expectations decreased to 52.6 from the preliminary reading of 54.2. The final reading for February was 64.0. In the same period a year ago, the index stood at 77.4.
Year-ahead inflation expectations jumped from 4.3% to 5.0% (preliminary reading 4.9%) -- the highest since November 2022.
Long-run inflation expectations increased from 3.5% to 4.1% (preliminary reading 3.9%) -- the largest month-over-month increase since 1993.

Big Picture

The key takeaway from the report is that the Expectations Index has dropped more than 30% since November 2024. The decline in March featured a clear consensus across all demographic and political affiliations, citing worsening expectations for personal finances, business conditions, unemployment, and inflation.