US consumer confidence ebbs in February; inflation expectations fall
Tweet
Share
E-mail
FILE PHOTO: An independent barber waits for customers on his van in a local street, in New York, U.S., December 25, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence retreated in February after three straight monthly increases as households worried about the labor market and the domestic political environment.
The Conference Board said on Tuesday that its consumer confidence index slipped to 106.7 this month from a downwardly revised 110.9 in January. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index little changed at 115.0 from the previously reported 114.8.
"February's write-in responses revealed that while overall inflation remained the main preoccupation of consumers, they are now a bit less concerned about food and gas prices, which have eased in recent months, said Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board in Washington.
"But they are more concerned about the labor market situation and the U.S. political environment."
Consumers' inflation expectations fell to 5.2%, the lowest level since March 2020, from 5.3% in January.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
Economic Data, ReutersRelated Entities
Consumer Confidence IndexSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!
