Consumer Confidence Plunges to Lowest Level Since 2014, Conference Board Says
The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell 9.7 points to 84.5 in January, its weakest reading since May 2014.
ABC NewsAmericans' confidence in economy falls sharply in January to lowest level since 2014
CNNConsumer confidence collapses to lowest level since 2014 | Business
Associated PressAmericans' confidence in the U.S. economy falls sharply in January to lowest level since 2014
NewsmaxConsumer Confidence Craters to Lowest in a Decade
Overview
The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index declined 9.7 points to 84.5 in January, marking the lowest reading since May 2014, according to the group's release.
Dana Peterson, the Conference Board's chief economist, said in a release that "confidence collapsed in January" as all five components of the index deteriorated and references to prices and inflation remained elevated.
A short-term expectations subindex for income, business conditions and the job market fell 9.5 points to 65.1, staying below the 80 threshold that can signal a recession, according to the survey results.
Economists linked the drop to weak hiring, with government data showing employers added 50,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate at 4.4%, figures that reflect a slowdown after 584,000 jobs added in 2025.
Analysts warned that the plunge could foreshadow weaker consumer spending in early 2026, and Heather Long of Navy Federal Credit Union urged policymakers to focus on affordability and reviving hiring, according to her commentary.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a sharp economic decline tied to labor-market weakness and policy uncertainty. They use strong verbs ("cratered," "collapsed"), prioritize economists who link trouble to tariffs and weak hiring, highlight warnings to policymakers, and juxtapose weak jobs data with brief growth notes to create a cautionary narrative.