Lates News

A survey showed that despite concerns about the labor market and rising living costs, consumer confidence in the United States improved slightly at the beginning of February. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 57.3 this month, higher than the January final value of 56.4. Joanne Hsu, the head of the survey, said, "Although the current confidence index is the highest since August 2025, the increases in recent months have been very limited. From a historical perspective, overall confidence levels are still very low. Concerns about high prices eroding personal finances and rising unemployment risks remain widespread." Consumers' expectations for inflation in the next year declined from 4.0% in January to 3.5% this month; while expectations for inflation in the next five years rose from 3.3% last month to 3.4%.