US CB Consumer Confidence (Sep) 81.9 vs. Exp. 89.2 (Prev. 88.6)

Present Situation Consumers’ views of current business conditions fell in September: 18.5% of consumers said business conditions were “good,” down from 18.8% in August. 20.4% said business conditions were “bad,” up from 17.3%. Consumers’ views of the labor market softened in September: 23.6% of consumers said jobs were “plentiful,” down from 24.5% in August. 21.9% of consumers said jobs were “hard to get,” up from 20.3%. Expectations Six Months Hence Consumers were more pessimistic about future business conditions in September: 15.9% of consumers expected business conditions to improve, down from 17.0% in August. 25.4% expected business conditions to worsen, up from 23.3%. Consumers were also more negative about the labor market outlook in September: 14.0% of consumers expected more jobs to be available, down from 14.8% in August. 28.4% expected fewer jobs, up from 26.1%. Consumers’ assessment of their income prospects was also less optimistic in September: 17.9% of consumers expected their income to increase, down from 19.0% in August. 15.4% expected their income to decline, up from 13.5%.