Consumer Sentiment increased 0.1 point in May to 97.1, according to the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.
The Current Economic Conditions Index fell 1.0 point to 111.7, while the Consumer Expectations Index rose 0.7 point to 87.7.
“Consumer sentiment has continued to move along the high plateau established following Trump’s election. The final May figure was virtually unchanged from either earlier in May or the April reading. Indeed, the May figure was nearly identical with the December to May average of 97.3. Moreover, the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans has also remained largely unchanged, with the first expecting a recession and the other more robust economic growth,” said Richard Curtin, chief economist of UM Surveys of Consumers. “Since no major policies, such as healthcare, taxes, or infrastructure spending have yet been adopted, the partisan divide may reflect differences in policy preferences expressed as expected economic outcomes. Despite the expected bounce back in spending in the current quarter, personal consumption is expected to advance by 2.3% in 2017, although this is based on averages across the political divide, which has never been as extreme as it is currently.”
Read the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers release.
