US Daily Data Recap "Confidence: Soft, some households to cut back" Wilcox

Research evidence excerpt

US Daily Data Recap "Confidence: Soft, some households to cut back" Wilcox

Global Research

26 May 2026ab

US Daily Data Recap Economics

AmericasConfidence: Soft, some households to cut back

Amanda Wilcox

Economist

Conference Board consumer confidence edged down 0.7 points to 93.1 in May, above amanda.wilcox@ubs.com

+1-212-713 3899

expectations, while the April level revised up. Stability in Conference Board consumer

confidence suggests that respondent households are largely taking higher gas prices in Jonathan Pingle

stride, as the expectations index also improved. Special questions alongside the May Economist

survey (link here) reported that two-thirds of respondents are cutting back on spending jonathan.pingle@ubs.com

+1-212-713 2225

overall due to rising prices, and most who are cutting back bought fewer items and

delayed expensive purchases. That said, many who said that they are delaying purchases Alan Detmeister

of items they want rather than need plan to buy them in the next six months. Economist

alan.detmeister@ubs.com

Figure 1: Households cutting back on spending +1-212-713 1222

Abigail Watt

abigail.watt@ubs.com

+1-212-882 6929

g House

Jalen Nichols

din Economist

jalen.nichols@ubs.com

+1-212-882 6905

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Source: Conference Board, UBS

The FRB of Philadelphia's non-manufacturing survey signaled continued weakness in

May, with the general activity index falling back to -23.6, though the new orders and

full-time employment indexes rose and price pressures remained fairly modest despite

higher oil prices. Firms reported rising customer price sensitivity, and among those able

to anticipate cost changes, the median firm expects competitors to change prices within

about three months.