In December 2024, the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) experienced a decline, dropping 8.1 points to 104.7 from November's 112.8. This decrease was primarily due to a significant fall in the Expectations Index, which measures consumers' short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions; it fell 12.6 points to 81.1, nearing the threshold that often signals a forthcoming recession. Despite this downturn, the Present Situation Index, reflecting consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, saw a modest decline of 1.2 points to 140.2. Notably, 37.0% of consumers reported that jobs were "plentiful," an increase from 33.6% in November, while those stating jobs were "hard to get" decreased slightly to 14.8% from 15.2%.
Conference Board
PR Newswire
These mixed sentiments suggest that while consumers recognize current economic strengths, there is growing concern about future conditions
