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United States · Inflation & data · Source: The Conference Board (PR Newswire)
Conference Board: US consumer confidence climbs 7.5 points to 91.7 in October
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Summary: US consumers grew more confident in October, with both their view of current conditions and their outlook improving, according to The Conference Board's monthly survey. The group said the rise tracked a dip in gasoline prices, but consumers still voiced frustration with living costs.
What happened
The Conference Board released its October Consumer Confidence Index at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on 27 October 2026.
- Headline index: 91.7 (1985 = 100), up 7.5 points from 84.2 in September. The group said the September figure was revised slightly higher.
- Present Situation Index: up 8.6 points to 120.4.
- Expectations Index: up 6.9 points to 72.6, which the group said only partly reversed three straight monthly declines.
- Inflation expectations: consumers' average 12-month inflation expectation fell but remained "elevated at 5.8%."
- The share of consumers saying jobs were "plentiful" rose to 26.7% from 24.3%, while 21.4% said jobs were "hard to get," unchanged.
Reuters reported that economists it polled had expected a reading of 81, and that September had previously been reported at 81.9.
The release said net views of current business conditions (the share of consumers saying "good" minus the share saying "bad") improved by 4.8 percentage points to 3.6%.
Background
The survey is run online for The Conference Board by Toluna. Preliminary October results were based on responses collected from 1 to 21 October. Fergus McCormick, the group's senior economist for global indicators, said the recovery "was in line with retail gasoline prices easing from September to October." He also said confidence remained on a long-term downward trend and that consumers planned to spend less on services and durable goods over the next six months.
According to the release, only consumers under 35 and households earning $100,000 or more showed rising confidence on a six-month moving-average basis.
Why it matters for markets and crypto
Consumer spending is the largest part of US economic activity, so surveys of household sentiment are watched for early signs of changes in demand. Consumers' inflation expectations are also followed by policymakers. These data relate to the wider economy. The survey does not cover crypto-assets, and this article draws no link to them.
What to watch next
- 27–28 October 2026: the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee meets, according to the Fed's calendar.
- 24 November 2026: The Conference Board says it publishes the index on the last Tuesday of every month, which puts the November release on this date.
Sources
- The Conference Board via PR Newswire, "US Consumer Confidence Increased in October", 27 October 2026
- Reuters via Investing.com, "US consumer confidence improves in October", 27 October 2026
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, FOMC meeting calendars (accessed 27 October 2026)
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