Well, howdy there, Internet people, it's Bell again.

So today, we're going to talk about consumer confidence hitting the low not seen since the last time Trump was in office.

So consumer confidence is now at the lowest levels since the last month of Trump's first term.

But that's actually not the bad news. I mean,

it's bad news, but it's not the worst news. So again, quick recap, consumer confidence is a gauge

that determines how we as American consumers feel about the economy. Facts don't care about your feelings.

The economy does. If you're worried about the economy, it influences the economy. Facts don't care about your feelings. The economy does. If you're worried

about the economy, it influences how you interact with the economy. The Conference Board

Consumer Confidence Index of current conditions fell by 7.2 points in March to 92.9. That's the lowest level since the last month Trump was in office last

time. And this month's drop was the fourth consecutive drop, meaning it's dropped every month

since Trump was elected. But the real news is the future expectations score. The expectations

index fell 9.6 points to 65.2. That's the lowest

level in 12 years. Other than the obvious sign of a weakening of faith that things will turn

around, why does that matter and why is it bad news? Anything below 80 is widely seen as an indication that

recession is ahead. When it dipped below that threshold last month, a lot of people who believe

in the current economic course believed it would turn around and go back above 80. That did not happen.

The exact opposite occurred and the drop in expectations

is pretty severe. But there's news that might be even more of an indication of recession ahead.

Stephanie Guasher, senior economist, global indicators at the conference board, said, quote,

consumers' optimism about future income, which had held up quite strongly in the past few months,

largely vanished, suggesting worries about the economy and labor market

have started to spread into consumers' assessments of their personal situations.

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