【U.S. Consumer Confidence Slightly Decreases Due to Employment and Income Concerns】According to Golden Finance, the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index slightly declined in August due to increased concerns about employment prospects. Data released on Tuesday showed that the U.S. Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell to 97.4 in August. The sub-index measuring expectations for the next six months decreased in August, while the present situation index dropped to its lowest level since April. Consumer confidence remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels, and recent slowdowns in the labor market have intensified economic worries triggered by Trump's tariff policies. Job growth and wage increases have significantly slowed, and the difficulty for the unemployed to find new jobs continues to rise. The proportion of consumers who believe that 'jobs are hard to find' has increased for the second consecutive month, reaching the highest level since 2021; the proportion who believe that 'jobs are plentiful' has remained roughly unchanged. The gap between these two indicators (a key measure of the labor market used by economists) has slightly narrowed, continuing the steady downward trend observed over the past three years.