The latest data show that Americans are taking an increasingly grim view of the U.S. economy and their own financial outlooks as uncertainty from the Trump administration’s tariff hikes and other policy changes drags on.
The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index fell for the fourth consecutive month, dropping 7.2 points to a reading of 92.9 in March, according to the latest data, released Tuesday. It was the lowest reading in four years and leaves the index with a 20-point decline since the election in November.
Economists surveyed by FactSet expected the index would drop to a reading of 94.5 this month. The Board revised up February’s initial confidence reading of 98.3 to 100.1.
https://www.marketwatch.com/articles/consumer-confidence-falls-march-3eaecd2d?mod=home_ln
Consumer discretionary guidance is in freefall pic.twitter.com/BEMklJpOVT
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 24, 2025
Stagflation fears are back:
Mentions of “stagflation” in Bloomberg News spiked to ~1,500 over the last few weeks, the highest since May 2024.
Stagflation means persistent high inflation combined with slow economic growth and elevated unemployment.
This comes as inflation has… pic.twitter.com/j8zAQ5d7Cs
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 24, 2025
2/ personal savings as a percentage of GDP are at their lowest levels since the 2008 financial crisis
If Americans have little savings, how can home prices continue to rise, right? pic.twitter.com/bEz8tWNSOD
— Bravos Research (@bravosresearch) March 24, 2025
