Consumer confidence decreased in September 2026, according to the Consumer Confidence Index. The index is a survey measuring how optimistic or pessimistic consumers feel about their financial situation, consisting of two components: how consumers feel about their present situation and their expected situation. This index fell from 89.4 to 81.9 in September, the lowest level since April 2014.
The Conference Board also reported the share of respondents planning to buy a home within six months. Those planning to buy a home rose slightly to 5.4% in September. Of the 5.4%, the shares planning to buy a newly constructed home and an existing home decreased to 0.4% and 2.4%, respectively. The remaining 2.6% were planning to buy a home but were undecided between new or existing homes.
