Connect With PPD
Follow Us:
Economy

Consumer Sentiment Remains High in April, But Slips on Trade, Interest Rate Fears

Consumer Spending and Consumer Sentiment. (Photo: AP)

The Survey of Consumers, a closely-watched gauge of consumer sentiment, slipped in April on fears of the impact of the Trump Administration’s proposed trade policies. The overall decline to 97.8 for the headline was largely due to the decline for current conditions.

The index for Current Economic Conditions fell to 115.0 from the extremely strong 121.2 of March. The Index of Consumer Expectations fell slightly to 86.8 from the 88.8 reading last month.

“Spontaneous references to trade policies were made by 29% of all consumers in early April, with nearly all the mentions negative (27% out of 29%),” Surveys of Consumers chief economist, Richard Curtin said. “The Expectations Index was just 64.2 among those who made negative comments about trade policies, while among those who made no mention of trade policies, the Expectations Index was 93.9, a substantial difference.”

However, as Mr. Curtain noted, trade worries weren’t the only or even the most significant causes of the slight decline.

“There were other factors responsible for the small overall April decline, the most important was the expectation of rising interest rates, which slightly slowed the anticipated pace of growth in the economy,” he said. “Overall, the data are consistent with a growth rate of 2.7% in consumption from mid-2018 to mid-2019.”

READ FULL STORY

SubscribeSign In
PPD Business Staff

PPD Business, the economy-reporting arm of People's Pundit Daily, is "making sense of current events." We are a no-holds barred, news reporting pundit of, by, and for the people.

Share
Published by
PPD Business Staff

Recent Posts

Media’s Worst Russian Collusion Sins May Soon Be Repeated

The most damning journalistic sin committed by the media during the era of Russia collusion…

1 year ago

Study: Mask-Mandates and Use Not Associated With Lower Covid-19 Case Growth

The first ecological study finds mask mandates were not effective at slowing the spread of…

3 years ago

Barnes and Baris on Big Tech’s Arbitrary Social Media Bans

On "What Are the Odds?" Monday, Robert Barnes and Rich Baris note how big tech…

4 years ago

Barnes and Baris on Why America First Stands With Israel

On "What Are the Odds?" Monday, Robert Barnes and Rich Baris discuss why America First…

4 years ago

Personal Income Fell Significantly in February, Consumer Spending Weaker than Expected

Personal income fell $1,516.6 billion (7.1%) in February, roughly the consensus forecast, while consumer spending…

4 years ago

Study: Infection, Vaccination Protects Against Covid-19 Variants

Research finds those previously infected by or vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 are not at risk of…

4 years ago

This website uses cookies.