Economy: Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for September 2019

The Consumer Confidence Index® (CCI) for this month (September 2019) was released by The Conference Board® this morning:

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Predicted: 133.0

Actual: 125.1

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Previous Month (revised): 134.2.

Change from Previous Month: -6.781% (-9.1 points)

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The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

From Today's Report:

"...The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® decreased in September, following a slight decline in August. The Index now stands at 125.1 (1985 = 100), down from 134.2 in August. The Present Situation Index -- based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions -- decreased from 176.0 to 169.0. The Expectations Index -- based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions -- declined from 106.4 last month to 95.8 this month.

'Consumer confidence declined in September, following a moderate decrease in August,' said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. 'Consumers were less positive in their assessment of current conditions and their expectations regarding the short-term outlook also weakened. The escalation in trade and tariff tensions in late August appears to have rattled consumers. However, this pattern of uncertainty and volatility has persisted for much of the year and it appears confidence is plateauing. While confidence could continue hovering around current levels for months to come, at some point this continued uncertainty will begin to diminish consumers’ confidence in the expansion.'..."

Every month, The Conference Board sends a questionnaire to 5,000 U.S. households. Survey participants are polled about their feelings regarding the U.S. economy, current and future, and about their own fiscal circumstances. On average, 3,500 participants complete and return the 5-question survey.

The baseline "100" score for the CCI is associated with 1985 survey data.

When consumers feel good about the economy, they tend to do more spending, and vice versa.

Based in New York City, The Conference Board is a private, not-for-profit organization with a mission to, "create and disseminate knowledge about management and the marketplace to help businesses strengthen their performance and better serve society."

The CCI is usually released on the last Tuesday of the month.

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