Stat: Consumer confidence is on the rise in the US

US – Consumer confidence in the US partially recovered in May after five consecutive months of decline, according to The Conference Board. The Consumer Confidence Index rose by 12.3 points to 98.0, while the Expectations Index, a survey of the short-term outlook for income, business and labour market conditions,  jumped 17.4 points to 72.8 – showing reduced pessimism but still falling short of the 80-point threshold that typically signals a recession risk.

The Present Situation Index, a consumers’ assessment of current business and labour maket conditions, also improved to 135.9, despite ongoing concerns about job availability. Notably, confidence gains were broad-based across age, income and political groups, with a marked uptick in sentiment following the 12 May announcement of a partial pause in US-China tariffs.

In our recent Walpole British Luxury Summit event debrief, we reported on Bain-Altagamma’s latest global market study, which found that 75% of consumers expect to maintain or increase their luxury spending in 2025 – underlining that the desire to spend endures, even amid uncertainty.

Spending plans for travel and entertainment also rose, reflecting the ongoing shift towards emotional and experiential value – a key theme covered in our Communities report, The Value Vanguard.