C-Suite Perspectives The State of the Economy for March 2026
Consumer confidence has ticked up slightly but remains low in the face of tariffs, spiking prices and war.
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® edged up in March to 91.8 (1985=100), from 91.0 in February. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions—increased by 4.6 points to 123.3. The Expectations Index—based on consumers' short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—declined by 1.7 points to 70.9.
While not obvious in the headline or its component indexes, the weight of rising costs due to tariff passthrough and spiking oil prices was evident among other measures in the survey like inflation expectations.
Join Yelena Shulyatyeva and guest Allen Li, Associate Economist, The Conference Board, to find out what's behind consumers' current and future expectations.
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