Consumer confidence in the U.S. declines for the fourth month in a row
It seems like your request might have gotten cut off. Could you please provide the full text or details of the article description that you would like me to rewrite?
TroibNews 
U.S. consumer confidence experienced a decline for the fourth month in a row in March, according to a survey conducted by the Conference Board, a business research group, which was released on Tuesday.
The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index fell to 92.9 in March, which is below the anticipated consensus of 94.2.
"Consumers' expectations were especially gloomy, with pessimism about future business conditions deepening and confidence about future employment prospects falling to a 12-year low," stated Stephanie Guichard, the senior economist of global indicators at the group.
The Expectations Index, reflecting consumers' outlook on short-term income, business, and employment conditions, decreased by 9.6 points to 65.2, marking the lowest level in 12 years and falling well below the 80-point threshold that typically signals an impending recession, as noted in the release.
Guichard observed that consumers' optimism regarding future income has largely disappeared, indicating that concerns about the economy and labor market are beginning to affect their perceptions of personal financial situations.
Additionally, consumers turned negative about the stock market for the first time since late 2023, likely due to recent market fluctuations, Guichard added.
In March, only 37.4 percent of consumers anticipated that stock prices would rise over the next year, representing a nearly 10 percentage-point decrease from February and a 20 percentage-point drop from the peak reached in November 2024, according to the release.
The survey is conducted online, with the preliminary results corresponding to a cutoff date of March 19.
Max Fischer contributed to this article for TROIB News
The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index fell to 92.9 in March, which is below the anticipated consensus of 94.2.
"Consumers' expectations were especially gloomy, with pessimism about future business conditions deepening and confidence about future employment prospects falling to a 12-year low," stated Stephanie Guichard, the senior economist of global indicators at the group.
The Expectations Index, reflecting consumers' outlook on short-term income, business, and employment conditions, decreased by 9.6 points to 65.2, marking the lowest level in 12 years and falling well below the 80-point threshold that typically signals an impending recession, as noted in the release.
Guichard observed that consumers' optimism regarding future income has largely disappeared, indicating that concerns about the economy and labor market are beginning to affect their perceptions of personal financial situations.
Additionally, consumers turned negative about the stock market for the first time since late 2023, likely due to recent market fluctuations, Guichard added.
In March, only 37.4 percent of consumers anticipated that stock prices would rise over the next year, representing a nearly 10 percentage-point decrease from February and a 20 percentage-point drop from the peak reached in November 2024, according to the release.
The survey is conducted online, with the preliminary results corresponding to a cutoff date of March 19.
Max Fischer contributed to this article for TROIB News
Find more stories on Business, Economy and Finance in TROIB business
