US Consumer Confidence Is Lower Than Expected

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The U.S. consumer confidence index fell in late February as consumers'views on the current economic situation and expectations deteriorated, in contrast to the rebound in optimism earlier in February. The survey showed that the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 76.9 in February from 79.6 in the initial reading. The monthly decline was the largest since March 2020. The index was at 79 in January. The preliminary February reading, which covers survey data as of Feb. 14, was the highest since July 2021.Gasoline prices rose significantly toward the end of the month, but the survey did not specify what caused the drop in confidence to be so large. The last responses to the survey were collected on February 26. Data released on Friday (March 1) showed that consumers expect prices to rise by 3% in the coming year, up from 2.9% in January. They expect prices to rise by 2.9% over the next five to 10 years, unchanged from the previous month's forecast. Despite the drop in consumer confidence,But it has generally improved over the past two years, as inflation has fallen and the economy has not suffered much damage. Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan Consumer Survey, said: "Consumers entered the new year feeling little change in economic conditions and seemed confident that inflation would remain on a favorable trajectory." During the month of February, the state of confidence varied across political groups. Republican confidence rose to its highest level since mid-2021, while Democrat confidence deteriorated to its highest level since June 2022, but remained at a high level.
Reporting from Singapore
Bloomberg Report

LOl well maybe walmart should stop treating its shoppers like they are criminals on probation the instant they enter the store. Idk I feel their whole aniti theaving methods are also all set up to make a reguar person going in and willing to pay for everything they have grabbed unappealing.

LIke I know better than to steal, but i dont need walmart to make the experience 100% times worse to supposedly deter stealing...like hey dumbas walmart overlord I use self check out because it is more convenient than waiting behind 10 boomers and allows me to get out of the store quicker, I'm not going to steal s**t because I am not quite to the point I have nothing to loose.

JUst let me use the self check ot like a normal persom...but the close walmart here has closed all the self check outs beause they are trying a new thing...but yeah since they stopped the self check outs that walmart has just been going more and more downhiill. Cause also they make it obvious like 'because some of you were stealing we do it this ..and on my end I don't want to be automatically treated as a delinquent child. Becuase I try to shop in a walmart

but that is how it feels when you go to walmart like the instant you enter the store you're on probabtion, do they really think that is the best way to treat customers?
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