US Consumer Confidence September 2026
September 29 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
US Consumer Confidence September 2026
Next US Consumer Confidence: Tuesday, at 10:00 am ET (3:00 pm London).
Date to be confirmed by the publisher; this is the scheduled date.
- Consensus
- Not yet published
- Prior
- 89.4 (August 2026, revised)
- Actual
- Pending
Full schedule and background: US Consumer Confidence.
Updated
The Conference Board is expected to release its Consumer Confidence Index for September 2026 on September 29, 2026 at 10:00 am ET (3:00 pm London time). This report measures how optimistic or pessimistic US households feel about current business conditions and their outlook for the next six months. Full schedule and background: US Consumer Confidence.
The Conference Board has not formally confirmed this date. It typically publishes the Consumer Confidence Index on the last Tuesday of each month, so September 29, 2026 is the expected date based on that pattern.
What is the Consumer Confidence Index?
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) is a monthly survey run by the Conference Board, a private research organisation, that asks a panel of roughly 3,000 US households about current business and labour market conditions, and about their expectations for income, business and jobs over the next six months. The headline index is built from two sub-indexes: the Present Situation Index, which reflects how people see the economy today, and the Expectations Index, which reflects their six-month outlook.
Markets watch this release because consumer spending drives around two-thirds of US economic activity. A sharp change in confidence can signal a shift in future spending on everything from cars to holidays, which in turn affects company earnings and, eventually, hiring and wages. The Federal Reserve also looks at the Expectations Index closely: a reading below 80 has historically often preceded a recession within the following year.
When is the September Consumer Confidence Index released?
The Conference Board is expected to publish the report at 10:00 am ET (3:00 pm London time) on September 29, 2026. The data is released to the public via the Conference Board’s website and distributed to newswires simultaneously. As noted above, the exact date has not been officially confirmed by the Conference Board, but its releases have consistently fallen on the last Tuesday of the month.
What is the consensus forecast?
A consensus forecast for the September 2026 reading has not yet been published. Economists’ forecasts for this release typically become available in the days immediately before the report, once major data providers such as Reuters and Bloomberg poll their panels.
| Measure | Prior (August 2026) | Consensus (September 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Headline Consumer Confidence Index | 89.4 | Not yet published |
| Present Situation Index | 121.2 | Not yet published |
| Expectations Index | 68.2 | Not yet published |
What the result could mean
| Scenario | Likely market read | What it means in plain English |
|---|---|---|
| Above consensus | Seen as a sign households feel steadier about jobs and spending, which could support equities and reduce expectations of near-term Fed rate cuts | People feel a bit more comfortable, which could mean more spending on things like holidays and big purchases |
| In line with consensus | Limited market reaction, since traders will have already priced in expectations | The economy is behaving roughly as expected, so nothing changes quickly for borrowing costs or prices |
| Below consensus | Could raise concern about slowing spending and add to the case for the Federal Reserve to keep or cut interest rates to support growth | People are more worried about jobs and prices, which can mean less spending on non-essentials and more caution about big purchases |
Why does this release matter right now?
Confidence has been on a broad downward path through the summer of 2026. The index fell for a second consecutive month in August, dropping to 89.4 from a downwardly revised 90.2 in July, according to a report carried by Yahoo Finance. The decline was driven almost entirely by the Expectations Index, which measures how households feel about business, income and jobs over the next six months, falling 5.8 points to 68.2, while the Present Situation Index actually improved by 6.8 points to 121.2, its first rise in four months.
An Expectations Index reading below 80 has historically often signalled a recession within the following year, a threshold the Conference Board itself has flagged. Survey respondents in August cited elevated petrol prices, more mentions of “armed conflict, geopolitical tensions, food costs, trade issues, and employment concerns” than the previous month, and households expected inflation of 5.8% over the coming year, up from 5.6% in July, according to the same Yahoo Finance report. That policymakers, including the Federal Reserve, watch this survey closely means a September reading that confirms or reverses this trend could feed into expectations for the Fed’s next interest rate decision.
What It Means for Your Money
- Mortgages and borrowing: A weak confidence reading can support the case for the Federal Reserve to hold or cut interest rates, which may keep mortgage and loan rates from rising further; a strong reading can do the opposite.
- Savings: If the data pushes rate-cut expectations further out, savers may see slightly better returns on cash for longer; if it strengthens the case for cuts, savings rates could start to drift down.
- Jobs and wages: The Expectations Index specifically tracks how households view the job market, so a weak reading can be an early sign that hiring intentions and wage growth may soften in the coming months.
- Prices: The survey also captures how much inflation consumers expect, which was already running at 5.8% for the year ahead in August. Elevated inflation expectations can make it harder for the Federal Reserve to justify interest rate cuts.
- Investments and pensions: Weaker confidence can weigh on shares of retailers, carmakers and travel companies that depend on discretionary spending, which matters for pension funds holding US equities.
- Currencies: A soft reading that raises the odds of Fed rate cuts can weigh on the dollar, with knock-on effects for the pound, euro and other currencies, while a stronger reading can support the dollar.
Related events
- US Consumer Confidence, August 2026
- US Nonfarm Payrolls, the monthly US jobs report
- Federal Reserve interest rate decision
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the September Consumer Confidence Index released?
It is expected at 10:00 am ET, which is 3:00 pm London time, on September 29, 2026, though the Conference Board has not formally confirmed the date.
How should I read the Consumer Confidence Index?
A higher number means households feel more positive about the economy and their own finances; a falling number, as seen through the summer of 2026, points to growing caution about jobs, prices and spending.
Does this data affect interest rates?
The Federal Reserve monitors consumer sentiment as one input among many, so a weak reading can add to the case for holding or cutting rates, while a strong reading can reduce pressure to cut.
Where is the official release published?
The report is published directly on the Conference Board’s website and distributed to newswires at the time of release.
When is the next Consumer Confidence report?
The Conference Board typically releases this data on the last Tuesday of each month, so the following report would be expected in late October 2026.