U.S. consumer confidence rebounds, with inflation expectations significantly rising

Mars Finance news: On March 31, the U.S. Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index for March increased slightly by 0.8 points to 91.8, surpassing February’s 91.0. The current conditions index, which reflects consumers’ assessments of the present business and labor market conditions, rose by 4.6 points to 123.3. The expectations index declined by 1.7 points to 70.9. The pressures from tariff transmission and soaring oil prices have been reflected in other indicators such as inflation expectations. “Consumer confidence in March increased modestly again, mainly because improvements in perceptions of current conditions offset a slight weakening in future outlooks,” said Dana M. Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board. “Three of the five sub-indices improved in March, and overall confidence has increased slightly for the second consecutive month. However, since 2021, the overall index has still been on a downward trend.” The data also shows that, against the backdrop of an oil price shock triggered by the Iran war, consumers’ average and median inflation expectations over the next 12 months surged in March to the highest levels since August 2025. The net percentage of consumers expecting interest rates to rise over the next 12 months jumped from 34.9% to 42.4%. (Jin10)