Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for MAY 2026

Consumer Confidence Index® (CCI) for this month (May, 2026) was released by The Conference Board®:

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Predicted: 92.0

• Actual: 93.1

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Previous Month (revised): 93.8

• Change from Previous Month: -0.75% (-0.7 point)
  

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The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

From Today's Report:

"...'Consumer confidence edged downward in May as the inflationary impacts of the [invasion of Iran] intensified,' said  Dana M Peterson, Chief Economist, The Conference Board. 'Consumer appraisals of current business conditions and the current labor market were moderately less positive compared to last month.

This was somewhat offset by modest improvements in consumers’ expectations for business conditions and the labor market six months from now. Meanwhile, income expectations eased in May, as those anticipating less income rose.'..."

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Every month, The Conference Board sends a questionnaire to 5,000 U.S. households. Survey participants are polled about their feelings regarding the U.S. economy, current and future, and about their own fiscal circumstances. On average, 3,500 participants complete and return the 5-question survey.

• The baseline "100" score for the CCI is associated with 1985 survey data.

When consumers feel good about the economy, they tend to do more spending, and vice versa.

Based in New York City, The Conference Board® is a private, not-for-profit organization with a mission to, "create and disseminate knowledge about management and the marketplace to help businesses strengthen their performance and better serve society."

The CCI is usually released on the last Tuesday of the month.

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CHART: Consumer Confidence Index® (CCI)

MAY 2026 Update

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• Click here to view the full Conference Board report.

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Existing Home Sales During MAY 2026

Existing Home Sales report for May, 2026 was released by The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR®) this morning:

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Previous Month: 4,040,000

• Actual: 4,170,000

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•  Change from Previous Month: +3.22% (+10,000 homes)
  
  
•  Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y): +3.22% (+130,000 homes)

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• Inventory: 1,550,000 homes.

(4.5 months supply | +10,000 [+0.65%] homes Y-o-Y.)

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The yellow-highlighted, "actual" figure above represents the preliminary, seasonally adjusted annualized sales count of existing homes, co-ops and condominiums for the indicated month. The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

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• Median Price: $429,300
  
  
• Price Change from A Year Ago: +1.32% (+$5,600)

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• Click Here for Historical Prices and a Chart.
  
  
• Click Here for New Home Sales Data.
  
  
• Click Here for the monthly New Home Sales report.

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From Today's Report:

"...'More Americans are on the move, with home sales rising to the highest level since December. This is great news for the housing market and the economy,' said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. 'Improving affordability is helping drive this momentum. Even with mortgage rates ticking up compared to earlier in the year, they remain lower than a year ago and are essentially at the long-term historical average. Income gains are also outpacing home price growth by a small margin in most parts of the country.'

'The new record-high May home price reflects solid fundamentals for homeowners and ongoing supply constraints,' Yun said. 'Only 1% of all home sales involved a foreclosure or an underwater situation in which the sale price could not cover the outstanding mortgage balance. This shows that homeowners are on solid financial footing.'

'Increased home sales mean more economic activity -- lawn care, furniture purchases, moving services, mortgage originations and other related business activities all get a boost,' Yun added..."

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CHART: 15- & 30-Year
Mortgage Rates History, USA

 

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• Click here to view the NAR® data.

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Consumer Sentiment: FINAL Results for MAY 2026

The University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS) - FINAL Results for May, 2026 was released today:

Predicted: 45.0

• Actual: 44.8

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• Change from Previous Month: -10.04% (-5.0 points)
  
  

• Change from 12-Months Previous: -14.18% (-7.4 points)

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• Final ICS Reading for April 2026: 49.8
  
  
• Final ICS Reading for May 2025: 52.2

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From Today's Report:

"...Consumer sentiment fell for the third straight month as supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to boost gasoline prices. Sentiment is now just below the previous historical trough seen in June 2022. The cost of living continues to be a first-order concern, with 57% of consumers spontaneously mentioning that high prices were eroding their personal finances, up from 50% last month.

Lower-income consumers and those without college degrees posted particularly strong sentiment declines; these groups are more sensitive to increases in the cost of gas and other essentials. 

Independents and Republicans saw decreases in sentiment, with both groups reaching their lowest readings of the current presidential administration.

Meanwhile, sentiment of Democrats was little changed from last month. Critically, consumers appear worried that inflation will increase and proliferate beyond fuel prices, even in the long run.

Year-ahead inflation expectations inched up from 4.7% last month to 4.8% this month. The current reading substantially exceeds the 3.4% reading seen in February 2026 prior to the start of the Iran invasion, along with all 2024 readings.

Long-run inflation expectations climbed from 3.5% in April to 3.9% in May, notably higher than the 2.8% to 3.2% range seen in 2024. This month’s increase in long-run expectations reflects sizable jumps among independents and Republicans. For the latter group, long-run inflation expectations are currently more than double their February 2025 reading on a monthly basis..."

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CHART: Short-Run Expectations Worsened Since
February 2026, Long-Run Expectations Following Suit
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The ICS is derived from the following five survey questions:

1. "We are interested in how people are getting along financially these days. Would you say that you (and your family living there) are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago?"
   
   
2. "Now looking ahead, do you think that a year from now you (and your family living there) will be better off financially, or worse off, or just about the same as now?"
   
   
3. "Now turning to business conditions in the country as a whole, do you think that during the next twelve months we'll have good times financially, or bad times, or what?"
   
   
4. "Looking ahead, which would you say is more likely: that in the country as a whole we'll have continuous good times during the next five years or so, or that we will have periods of widespread unemployment or depression, or what?"
   
   
5. "About the big things people buy for their homes, such as furniture, a refrigerator, stove, television, and things like that. Generally speaking, do you think now is a good or bad time for people to buy major household items?"
   

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• Click here for more on how the ICS is calculated.

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The ICS uses a 1966 baseline, i.e. for 1966, the ICS = 100. So any number that is below the 1966 baseline of 100 means that the folks who were polled recently aren't as optimistic about the U.S. economy as those polled back in 1966.

The ICS is similar to the Consumer Confidence Index in that they both measure consumer attitudes and offer valuable insight into consumer spending.

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The "predicted" figure is what economists were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

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• Click here to view the full University of Michigan report.

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