Conference Board Consumer Confidence Edges Down
Markets are down, the negative surprise was Conference Board Consumer Confidence which came out at 46 vs. 55 consensus and 56.5 for January.
Chart 1. Conference Board Consumer Confidence
Source: Bloomberg
Press release.
Consumers’ assessment of current-day conditions soured in February. Those claiming conditions are “good” decreased to 6.2 percent from 8.5 percent, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” increased to 46.3 percent from 44.7 percent. Consumers’ assessment of the labor market was also more pessimistic. Those saying jobs are “hard to get” rose to 47.7 percent from 46.5 percent, while those saying jobs are “plentiful” decreased to 3.6 percent from 4.4 percent.
Consumers’ short-term outlook, which had been improving, lost considerable ground in February. The percentage of consumers anticipating an improvement in business conditions over the next six months decreased to 16.7 percent from 20.7 percent, while those anticipating conditions will worsen increased to 15.3 percent from 12.7 percent. Regarding the outlook for the labor market, the percentage of consumers expecting fewer jobs increased to 24.6 percent from 18.9 percent. Those anticipating more jobs will become available in the months ahead declined to 13.4 percent from 15.8 percent. The proportion of consumers anticipating an increase in their incomes declined to 9.5 percent from 11.0 percent.