The Conference Board news and trends

The Conference Board Finds Labor Market Optimism Lifts Consumer Confidence
Consumer Insights // February 24, 2026

Slight improvements in consumers’ expectations for business conditions, labor market conditions and incomes drove a turnaround in consumer confidence in February, The Conference Board said Tuesday (Feb. 24). Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all...

Consumer Spending Boosts US Economic Growth as Confidence Dips
Economy // December 23, 2025

Two new sets of data show consumers are spending strongly but not feeling confident. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS...

Consumer Confidence Slips as Lower-Income Households Feel Strained
Economy // October 28, 2025

Consumer confidence edged down in October as the outlook among Americans grew more cautious heading into the year’s final months. The latest Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index slipped by 1 point to 94.6, from 95.6 in September, marking its lowest level since spring. Beneath the...

One in Five US Firms Plans Hiring Freeze
Economy // August 21, 2025

A growing number of American companies plan to slow hiring in the latter half of this year. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our...

Interviews & Exclusives
Inflation and Tariff Anxieties Spur Consumers to ‘Pull Forward’ Their Spending

March 25, 2025
Consumers are weighed down by concerns about tariffs and the state of their own financial conditions — and they’re anything but confident. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By […]

November Consumer Confidence Jumps, but Spending Plans Mixed

November 26, 2024
Headed into Black Friday, consumers are more positive than they have been in months. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access...

Mixed Economic Signals: Strong Jobs Report, but Declining Confidence

October 07, 2024
Monday (Oct. 7) marked a double dose of economic data that provided a continued diet of mixed signals. First up, the Federal Reserve’s latest data on consumer credit showed an overall...

Consumer Confidence Drops to 2-Year Low as Paycheck-to-Paycheck Segment Struggles

September 24, 2024
For lower-income consumers, the most vulnerable subset of the paycheck-to-paycheck economy, the outlook is, in a word … gloomy. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article...

Quick Reads
Oil Prices and Supply Chain Stress Sour Economic Outlook

April 30, 2026
The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) declined by 0.6% in March amid higher oil prices and stressed supply chains. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By completing this […]

The Conference Board Finds Labor Market Optimism Lifts Consumer Confidence

February 24, 2026
Slight improvements in consumers’ expectations for business conditions, labor market conditions and incomes drove a turnaround in consumer confidence in February, The Conference Board said Tuesday (Feb. 24). Get the Full...

Consumer Spending Boosts US Economic Growth as Confidence Dips

December 23, 2025
Two new sets of data show consumers are spending strongly but not feeling confident. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access...

One in Five US Firms Plans Hiring Freeze

August 21, 2025
A growing number of American companies plan to slow hiring in the latter half of this year. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy...