US Consumer Confidence October 2026

The US Consumer Confidence Index for September 2026 is scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 10:00 am ET (2:00 pm London). The figure is published by the Conference Board, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit think tank that has run this monthly household survey since the 1970s. The release covers consumer sentiment gathered during September 2026. Full schedule and background: US Consumer Confidence.

What is US Consumer Confidence?

The Consumer Confidence Index is a monthly gauge of how American households feel about the economy, their jobs and their own finances. The Conference Board surveys around 3,000 households and asks five questions: two about current conditions (business conditions and the local jobs market) and three about expectations for the next six months (business conditions, jobs and household income). Answers are scored as positive, negative or neutral, and the balance is turned into an index number benchmarked against 1985 levels, when the index was set at 100.

The headline figure is split into two sub-indexes that economists watch closely. The Present Situation Index reflects how people see the economy and labour market right now. The Expectations Index captures optimism or pessimism about the next six months, and the Conference Board has noted that a reading below 80 on this sub-index has historically preceded a recession within a year.

Markets watch the release because consumer spending drives roughly two-thirds of US economic output. A sharp change in confidence can signal a turning point in spending on cars, holidays, home improvements and big-ticket items well before that shift shows up in official retail sales or GDP data. Currency traders, bond investors and equity analysts all use the report as an early read on the health of the world’s largest consumer economy, which in turn affects demand for imports from Europe and Asia and the direction of the dollar.

When is the September Consumer Confidence report released?

The Conference Board has not yet formally confirmed the exact October release date at the time of writing, so this page uses the standard schedule: the index is normally published at 10:00 am ET on the last Tuesday of each month, which in October 2026 falls on October 27. The data will appear on the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence page alongside a short commentary from the organisation’s chief economist.

What is the consensus forecast?

A consensus forecast for the September 2026 reading has not yet been published by major polling services such as Reuters or Bloomberg at the time of writing; those figures typically appear only in the days immediately before release. The most recently confirmed data point is the August 2026 report, published on August 25, 2026, which showed the headline index falling to 89.4, its lowest level since January, from a downwardly revised 90.2 in July. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast August at 90.2, according to Reuters reporting carried by Yahoo Finance.

What the result could mean

These are possibilities rather than predictions. As commentators at InvestingLive noted after the August release, confidence readings are “rarely a market mover” on their own, though they add colour to the broader picture the Federal Reserve is watching.

Why does this release matter right now?

Confidence has been on a broad downward trend through the summer of 2026. The index fell for a third consecutive month in July to 90.8 (later revised to 90.2), then eased again in August to 89.4, according to the Conference Board’s own release. The Expectations Index has held below the recessionary 80.0 threshold since February 2025, a stretch the Conference Board itself has flagged as a warning sign that has historically preceded downturns.

Chief economist Dana M. Peterson said households have grown “more pessimistic about business conditions and the labour market” even as their view of current conditions improved slightly in August, according to the Conference Board’s official release. The Federal Reserve tracks confidence data alongside jobs and inflation reports as it weighs the pace of any further interest rate changes, because a sustained drop in sentiment can foreshadow weaker consumer spending, which accounts for the bulk of US economic growth. A weak September reading, following two months of decline, would add to questions about whether the labour market slowdown reported in recent jobs data is starting to change household behaviour.

What It Means for Your Money

• Mortgages and borrowing: weak confidence data can reinforce expectations of slower growth, which sometimes pushes bond yields and mortgage rates lower in the US, UK and euro area as investors anticipate central banks staying cautious or easing further.
• Savings: if confidence keeps falling and the Fed leans towards cutting rates, savings account and cash ISA returns in the US and UK could drift lower over time, since bank rates tend to follow the direction of central bank policy.
• Jobs and wages: the survey’s labour market questions are an early signal. A falling “jobs plentiful” reading has often preceded softer hiring, which matters for anyone weighing a job change or expecting a pay rise.
• Prices: the survey also captures households’ short-term inflation expectations. A rise here can keep pressure on the Fed to hold rates higher for longer, indirectly affecting the cost of credit cards and car loans.
• Investments, pensions and currencies: weaker US consumer sentiment can weigh on shares of retailers, airlines and carmakers, and it can move the dollar against the pound and euro, which affects the value of overseas investments and pensions held by UK and European savers.

Related events

• Previous release: US Consumer Confidence, September 2026
• US non-farm payrolls and unemployment rate, published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
• US Consumer Price Index (CPI), the main US inflation release, published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is the September Consumer Confidence report released?

The report is expected at 10:00 am ET (2:00 pm London time) on October 27, 2026, based on the Conference Board’s usual practice of publishing on the last Tuesday of the month.

How do I read the Consumer Confidence Index?

A rising index means households feel more positive about the economy, jobs and their own income, while a falling index signals growing caution or pessimism, with a benchmark of 100 tied to 1985 levels.

Does this report affect interest rates?

It is one of several data points the Federal Reserve considers alongside jobs and inflation figures. It rarely moves rates on its own but can shift expectations for future Fed decisions if it points to a broader change in the economy.

Where can I find the official release?

The Conference Board publishes the report and an accompanying press release on its Consumer Confidence page.

When is the next Consumer Confidence report after this one?

Following the standard schedule, the next report covering October 2026 data is expected around the last Tuesday of November 2026.