The Conference Board US Consumer Confidence Index Slides in September

On Tuesday, The Conference Board, a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank founded in 1916, released the results of its Consumer Confidence Survey for September.

• The Consumer Confidence Index decreased 6.7 points in September, falling to a reading of 81.9 (1985=100) from 88.6 in August.
• The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—fell 7.9 points to a reading of 109.3.
• The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell 5.9 points to a reading of 63.6, marking its third consecutive monthly decline.

The cutoff date for preliminary results was September 23.

In a statement accompanying the report, The Conference Board Chief Economist Dana Peterson said:

“The Consumer Confidence Index deteriorated notably in September, following two prior months of softening. The Present Situation Index fell sharply, while the Expectations Index slipped further into negative territory. Consumer appraisals of current business conditions became negative for the first time since September 2024. Perceptions of the current labor market also worsened, though remained within positive territory. Over the next six months, consumers expected both business conditions and the labor market to weaken. Consumers still anticipated their household incomes to rise, but less so compared to previous months.”