US consumer confidence ticks higher despite rising inflation concerns
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Tuesday 31 Mar 2026
(Sharecast News) - US consumer confidence edged slightly higher in March, with the Conference Board's headline index rising to 91.8, up from 91.0 in February.
The Present Situation Index strengthened to 123.3, reflecting improved assessments of current business and labour‑market conditions, while the Expectations Index slipped to 70.9 as households grew more cautious about the short‑term outlook.
The survey, conducted between 1 and 24 March, also indicated that rising costs linked to tariff passthrough and higher oil prices were weighing on consumers, even if they were not immediately visible in the headline measures.
"Consumer confidence ticked up again in March, as a modest improvement in consumers' views of current conditions outweighed a slight downshift in expectations for the future," said the Conference Board's chief economist, Dana M Peterson. "Three of five components of the Index firmed in March, and overall confidence improved modestly for a second month. Nonetheless, the Index has been on a general downward trend since 2021."
Perceptions of the labour market also improved slightly, as the jobs differential - the share of consumers saying jobs were plentiful minus those saying they were hard to get - inched up by 0.1 percentage points to +5.8%.
On the other hand, inflation expectations jumped sharply in March, with both average and median 12‑month projections rising to their highest levels since August 2025 amid the oil shock linked to the Iran conflict. As a result, the share of respondents expecting interest rates to be higher over the next year surged from 34.9% to 42.4%. Expectations for higher stock prices over the coming 12 months fell markedly.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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