--- title: "How to Read the Conference Board Consumer Confidence" description: "How to read the Conference Board Consumer Confidence: what it measures, how to interpret the headline versus consensus expectations, and how it affects Stocks." canonical: https://www.getswoopr.com/economic-releases/consumer-economy/conference-board-consumer-confidence/ source: "Swoopr Investment: https://www.getswoopr.com" --- ## Direct Answer > The Conference Board Consumer Confidence is a monthly release from The Conference Board. The Consumer Confidence Index (1985=100) comes from a monthly online survey of consumers conducted for The Conference Board by Toluna. The release reports it with the Present Situation Index, based on assessments of current business and labor market conditions, and the Expectations Index, based on the short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions. # How to Read the Conference Board Consumer Confidence ## What is the Conference Board Consumer Confidence? The Consumer Confidence Index (1985=100) comes from a monthly online survey of consumers conducted for The Conference Board by Toluna. The release reports it with the Present Situation Index, based on assessments of current business and labor market conditions, and the Expectations Index, based on the short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions. The release also reports the share of consumers who see a US recession as likely, inflation expectations and spending plans. The Conference Board states that the recession measures are not included in calculating the Consumer Confidence Index. **Production facts:** - **Publisher:** The Conference Board - **Frequency:** Monthly - **Typical release time:** 10 a.m. ET on the last Tuesday of every month - **Primary metric:** Consumer Confidence Index - **Market sensitivity:** High - **Data type:** Soft data - **Economic indicator type:** Leading - **Revision risk:** Medium ## Key components to watch The headline (Consumer Confidence Index) is the most widely quoted but rarely the most informative number. The components that follow reveal whether the headline result is broad-based or concentrated, improving or deteriorating, and consistent with prior trends. - Present Situation Index - Expectations Index - Current business conditions - Current labor market differential - Expected business conditions - Expected household income For any release with multiple components, the investor's task is not to memorize every number but to identify which components are most relevant to the current investment thesis and track those with the most care. ## How to read the headline: actual versus expected Markets react to the gap between the published Consumer Confidence Index and the consensus forecast, not to the level alone. A stronger-than-expected or weaker-than-expected result is defined against that forecast, so check what was expected before reading the number. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence carries medium revision risk: The September 2026 release describes its results as preliminary: the survey period was September 1-23 and the cutoff date for the preliminary results was September 23. Read any revision to the prior period together with the new figure. ## Market impact by asset class The Conference Board Consumer Confidence primarily affects the following markets: Stocks, Bonds, Rates, FX. **Stronger than expected result:** In an inflation-elevated, tightening environment, a stronger result typically pressures interest-rate-sensitive assets and can strengthen the dollar. In a growth-slowing environment, a stronger result can be equity-supportive if it reduces recession fears. **Weaker than expected result:** In a growth-concern environment, a weaker result may reinforce concerns about economic deceleration. If the Fed is watching this specific indicator for policy calibration, a persistent pattern of below-consensus results may shift the rate path. **In-line result:** In-line results typically produce muted market reactions unless there are significant component deviations from expectations. The market had already priced the consensus, so confirmation requires little repricing. ## Revision risk and methodology notes The Conference Board Consumer Confidence carries **medium revision risk**. The September 2026 release describes its results as preliminary: the survey period was September 1-23 and the cutoff date for the preliminary results was September 23. The release does not describe how or when preliminary figures are finalized. It says subscription information and the technical notes to the series are available on The Conference Board website. Primary source: [The Conference Board: Conference Board Consumer Confidence](https://www.conference-board.org/topics/economic-data-analysis). Release calendar: [The Conference Board schedule](https://www.conference-board.org/research/economy-watch-us/). Publisher documents read for this page: - [The Conference Board: US Consumer Confidence](https://www.conference-board.org/topics/consumer-confidence) ## Common investor mistakes - **Reacting to the headline without checking the components.** The headline can diverge significantly from the underlying trend revealed by the components. A headline beat driven by a volatile component may not indicate the same strength as a broad-based improvement. - **Ignoring revisions to prior periods.** An initial strong number revised down in the following release tells a different story than a number that stands firm. - **Not knowing what is consensus-priced.** Reacting to a number without knowing what was already expected conflates information with noise. The market reaction is driven by the deviation from expectations, not by the level of the number. - **Applying the same interpretation across different regimes.** The same headline result has different implications depending on the Fed's current stance, the growth trend, and what is already priced into the yield curve and equity multiples. ## Related releases The Conference Board Consumer Confidence should be read alongside: - Retail Sales - Retail Sales Control Group - Retail Sales Ex Autos - Personal Income - Personal Consumption Expenditures ## Frequently asked questions What is the Conference Board Consumer Confidence? The Consumer Confidence Index (1985=100) comes from a monthly online survey of consumers conducted for The Conference Board by Toluna. The release reports it with the Present Situation Index, based on assessments of current business and labor market conditions, and the Expectations Index, based on the short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions. It is published monthly by The Conference Board. When is the Conference Board Consumer Confidence released? The Conference Board Consumer Confidence is released by The Conference Board on a monthly schedule: 10 a.m. ET on the last Tuesday of every month. Exact dates are on the publisher's release calendar. How does the Conference Board Consumer Confidence affect markets? The Conference Board Consumer Confidence primarily affects Stocks, Bonds, Rates, FX. Its typical market sensitivity is rated High. A result that comes in stronger than consensus expectations generally moves affected markets directionally, while a weaker result can have the opposite effect. The direction depends on the current macro regime and what is already priced into markets. What is the revision risk for the Conference Board Consumer Confidence? The Conference Board Consumer Confidence carries medium revision risk. The September 2026 release describes its results as preliminary: the survey period was September 1-23 and the cutoff date for the preliminary results was September 23. The release does not describe how or when preliminary figures are finalized. It says subscription information and the technical notes to the series are available on The Conference Board website. **[Swoopr Editorial Team](https://www.getswoopr.com/authors/swoopr-editorial-team/)** The Swoopr Editorial Team produces independent investment education content. Our research and editorial process is described in our [editorial policy](https://www.getswoopr.com/legal/editorial-policy/). Errors and corrections: [corrections policy](https://www.getswoopr.com/legal/corrections-policy/).