“The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index ® decreased in December, following a modest decline in November. The Index now stands at 128.1 (1985=100), down from 136.4 in November,” the Conference Board reported on Thursday.
Key takeaways from the press release
- The Present Situation Index – based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – declined slightly, from 172.7 to 171.6.
- The Expectations Index – based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions – decreased from 112.3 last month to 99.1 this month.
- The percentage of consumers saying business conditions are “good” decreased from 42.0 percent to 37.2 percent.
- The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months decreased from 21.9 percent to 18.3 percent.