Economic jitters are showing up across various sentiment surveys as the Trump administration aims to reconfigure trade relationship with the world and inflation shows signs of getting stuck.
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index for February, which was released on Tuesday morning, provides the most recent evidence. As expectations for inflation in the coming year increased, the index fell to 98.3, marking the largest monthly decline since August 2021 and the third consecutive month of decline. This is in line with the findings of the University of Michigan’s February consumer survey. The National Association of Home Builders says that homebuilders are also getting more worried. Even small businesses in the , which still have some hope for deregulation and tax cuts, are worried about the economy’s future. The National Federation of Independent Business’ Uncertainty Index rose in January to its third-highest reading on record.