Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

American consumers are feeling less confident as concerns about jobs take center stage

American consumers are feeling less confident this month and concerns about jobs rose significantly

Matt Ott
Tuesday 24 September 2024 15:12 BST

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

American consumers are feeling less confident this month as concerns about jobs rose significantly.

The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 98.7 in September, from 105.6 in August. It was the biggest month-to-month decline since August of 2021.

The survey was conducted before the Federal Reserve announced a bigger-than-expected half-point interest rate cut last week.

The index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months.

The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market fell to 81.7 from 86.3 in July. A reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future.

Consumers’ view of current conditions fell to 124.3 in September from 134.3 last month.

Consumer spending accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity and is closely watched by economists for signs how the American consumer is feeling.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in