Consumers are in a bad mood, and the numbers prove it. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell 6.7 points to 81.9 in September 2026, down from 88.6 in August. That is the lowest reading since April 2014. Reuters called it a near 12.5-year low. Economists expected better. Several outlets said the index landed well below forecasts.
Consumer confidence just hit 81.9, its lowest reading since April 2014, and economists clearly did not see it coming.
It also marks a third straight monthly drop. Not a blip. A trend. The fall to 81.9 even places confidence below the pandemic-era trough referenced in some coverage, which is quite a feat for a stretch nobody remembers fondly.
Look at the present picture. The Present Situation Index dropped 7.9 points to 109.3. That gauge tracks how people see current business and labor market conditions. Appraisals of current business conditions turned negative for the first time since September 2024. Labor-market assessments did much of the damage. So the worry is no longer just about what might happen. People are unhappy with what is happening now.
The future looks no brighter. The Expectations Index slid 5.9 points to 63.6, its third consecutive monthly decline. That index covers short-term outlooks for income, business, and the labor market. A reading in the low 60s signals pronounced pessimism about the next six months. Expectations for both business conditions and jobs weakened further. Dana M. Peterson said confidence deteriorated significantly in September. Significantly, indeed.
What’s driving it? Prices, mostly. Higher costs remained a major reason, and inflation-weary consumers worry about what that does to household finances. Average 12-month inflation expectations rose by 0.3 percentage points to 6.1%. Al Jazeera reported people pointed to pricier goods and services as the main culprit.
Labor-market anxiety is climbing too, with households expecting weaker employment conditions. Rising interest rates were also cited as a pressure point, as 68.4% of consumers anticipate higher interest rates over the next 12 months, up by 5.2 points. CNBC stressed the link between falling sentiment, inflation, and job fears.
Why care? Lower confidence can signal softer spending ahead. Weak expectations often foreshadow less willingness to buy big-ticket items. Price pressure can restrain discretionary purchases, and job pessimism adds more caution. All eyes are now on how households behave in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the crypto crowd has its storyline. XRP and ADA are holding, and Pepeto is climbing, at least according to headline writers. That is a separate market with its own moods, and nothing in the confidence data ties the two together. Households feel gloomy about prices, jobs, and rates. Some corners of the token world did not get the memo. Anyone weighing tokens in a shaky economy should set clear investment goals first, since defined goals help reduce emotional decision-making during market volatility.
