The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index declined again in September, the second consecutive monthly dip.
That from the horse's mouth. Wariness about the jobs picture seems to be the culprit.
Those saying business conditions are “good” edged up to 23.6 percent from 23.0 percent. Those claiming conditions are “bad” remained flat at 20.3 percent, compared to 20.2 percent last month. The job situation was less favorable than in August. Consumers saying jobs are “plentiful” declined to 16.8 percent from 18.4 percent. Those claiming jobs are “hard to get” rose to 28.3 percent from 26.0 percent in August.
Looking forward, average opinions haven't changed much, but expectations appear to have become a bit more disperse:
Those anticipating conditions to worsen in the next six months increased to 9.4 percent from 8.8 percent. But those expecting business conditions to improve increased to 21.4 percent from 20.2 percent last month....
Consumers expecting fewer jobs increased to 16.1 percent from 15.1 percent, while those anticipating more jobs to become available rose to 17.7 percent from 16.3 percent.