US CB Consumer Confidence (Apr) 92.8 vs. Exp. 89.5 (Prev. 91.8 , Low. 80.3 , High. 95.0 )

• Consumers’ average and median 12-month inflation expectations ticked downward but continued to be elevated. 
• The percentage of consumers saying interest rates over the next 12 months will be higher on net rose to nearly 50%. 
• Expectations for higher stock prices a year from now ticked up.

Present Situation

Consumers’ views of current business conditions eroded in April.

• 22.0% of consumers said business conditions were “good,” up from 21.7% in March.
• However, 17.9% said business conditions were “bad,” up from 15.8%.

On net, consumers’ views of the labor market improved moderately in April.

• 27.3% of consumers said jobs were “plentiful,” virtually unchanged from 27.4% in March.
• 19.8% of consumers said jobs were “hard to get,” down from 21.3%.

Expectations Six Months Hence       

Overall, consumers were slightly more pessimistic about future business conditions in April.

• 18.9% of consumers expected business conditions to improve, up from 18.1% in March.
• Conversely, 23.6% expected business conditions to worsen, up from 21.4%.

However, consumers were less negative about the labor market outlook in April.

• 16.1% of consumers expected more jobs to be available, up from 15.4% in March.
• 26.9% anticipated fewer jobs, down from 27.8%.

On net, consumers’ outlook for their income prospects was also slightly more optimistic in April.

• 18.6% of consumers expected their incomes to increase, down from 19.2% in March.
• But only 12.3% expected their incomes to decline, also down from 13.6%.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey®, based on an online sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Toluna, a technology company that delivers real-time consumer insights and market research through its innovative technology, expertise, and panel of over 36 million consumers. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was April 22.