Bags are displayed in the window of a Kate Spade store in Pittsburgh on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. On Tuesday, the Conference Board reports on U.S. consumer confidence for February. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Higher-income consumers are feeling better about the economy, and their optimism is helping lift the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index.
The index, which tracks consumers' expectations of business and labor market conditions, increased slightly to 104.2 in March, up from 103.4 the month before.
"Driven by an uptick in expectations, consumer confidence improved somewhat in March, but remains below the average level seen in 2022 (104.5)," said Ataman Ozyildirim, senior director of economics at The Conference Board, in a press release. "The gain reflects an improved outlook for consumers under 55 years of age and for households earning $50,000 and over."
He added that while consumers are more optimistic about the near future, they are less sure about the current economy.
"The share of consumers saying jobs are 'plentiful' fell, while the share of those saying jobs are 'not so plentiful' rose," Ozyildirim said.
The index showed that consumers expect to spend less on discretionary purchases, such as entertainment and dining out, and more on less discretionary purchases, such as health care and home repairs.
The incoming Fed decision will likely be good news for consumers with high-yield saving options, but bad news for borrowers (like anyone with high credit debt).
Empower your financial future with 'Investing Is Your Superpower' by Shinobu Hindert. Learn how to take control of your finances. No economics degree required
Inflation is still high, and economic activity is starting to slow down. But before you start to panic about stagflation, wait to see this week’s jobs report.
With buildings responsible for over 40% of emissions worldwide, the CEO of Kelvin breaks down how its technology can be used to retrofit traditional radiators.
After battling inflation for years, now U.S. consumers have to prepare for stagflation, and, unfortunately, it could be more complicated to fix than a typical
