In Depth Analysis: CalculatedRisk Newsletter on Real Estate (Ad Free) Read it here.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Earlier: Consumer Sentiment at 94.3, Current Economic Conditions Highest since 2005

by Calculated Risk on 6/10/2016 11:00:00 AM

Consumer Sentiment
Click on graph for larger image.

The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for June was at 94.3, down from 94.7 in May:

"Consumers were a bit less optimistic in early June due to increased concerns about future economic prospects. The recent data magnified the growing gap between the most favorable assessments of Current Economic Conditions since July 2005, and renewed downward drift of the Expectations Index, which fell by a rather modest 8.6% from the January 2015 peak. The strength recorded in early June was in personal finances, and the weaknesses were in expectations for continued growth in the national economy. Consumers rated their current financial situation at the best levels since the 2007 cyclical peak largely due to wage gains. Prospects for gains in inflation-adjusted incomes in the year ahead were also the most favorable since the 2007 peak, enabled by record low inflation expectations. On the negative side of the ledger, consumers do not think the economy is as strong as it was last year nor do they anticipate the economy will enjoy the same financial health in the year ahead as they anticipated a year ago."
emphasis added
Read the highlighted sentences - consumers are very positive on current conditions, but they are concerned about the future.