U.S. Consumer Sentiment Fell in August, Conference Board Says

By Jessica Coacci

Consumer confidence fell in August as expectations for the future business and labor market conditions became more pessimistic, a monthly survey from The Conference Board said.

The research group said its consumer confidence index fell in August to 89.4 from 90.2 in July. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had expected a higher reading of 90.2.

Consumers' assessment of current business and labor-market conditions rose by 6.8 points to 121.2, following three months of consecutive decline. Meanwhile, the expectations index - based on short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions - fell by 5.8 points to 68.2.

The Conference Board said perceptions of employment conditions improved from the last reading, with the labor market differential - the share of consumers saying jobs are "plentiful" minus the share saying jobs are "hard to get" - rising to 7.5%. The increase was driven by more consumers reporting that jobs are plentiful. Economists watch this labor-market differential to gauge how tight labor conditions are for households.

A separate reading of sentiment from the University of Michigan will be released Friday.

Economists also will get a read of the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation reading, Personal Consumption Expenditures, this week. The reading is expected to remain above the central bank's target, highlighting sustained inflation pressures to consumers.

Write to Jessica Coacci at jessica.coacci@wsj.com

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August 25, 2026 10:30 ET (14:30 GMT)