Consumer confidence saw a sharp and unexpected rise in October. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index jumped 7.5 points to reach 91.7 [1]. This is up from a score of 84.2 in September. Economists had previously predicted the number would fall to 81.
The measure for current conditions climbed 8.6 points to 120.4.
The increase was driven by better views on current business conditions. The measure for current conditions climbed 8.6 points to 120.4. At the same time, the expectations index went up 6.9 points to 72.6. This increase reversed three straight months of drops
People also feel better about the job market. The share of people who say jobs are plentiful rose to 26.7 percent, up from 24.3 percent. The share of people who say jobs are hard to get stayed exactly the same at 21.4 percent
“The recovery was in line with retail gasoline prices easing from September to October,” said Fergus McCormick, Senior Economist of Global Indicators at The Conference Board.
Overall, more consumers now say business conditions are good rather than bad. The sudden shift in consumer sentiment is driven by easing economic pressures and improved job prospects.
Notes:
- ^McCormick, F. (2026). October Surprise: Consumer Confidence Unexpectedly Jumps Higher – Breitbart. Breitbart. Retrieved from https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2026/10/27/october-surprise-consumer-confidence-unexpectedly-jumps-higher/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email (go back ↩)
