Is this real economic data?

Yes — the real published University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.

No. It is a free, public economic data series.

As current as the index's real monthly release schedule.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Is this the same as the Conference Board's index?

No. The Conference Board runs a separate survey with its own questions and methods, so its readings and the Michigan index can differ and sometimes move in opposite directions.

Does low sentiment mean a recession is coming?

Not reliably. Sentiment can fall because of price rises or political news without spending falling by the same amount. It is one indicator among many.

What does a value of 100 mean?

The index is scaled so that the first quarter of 1966 equals 100. Higher readings mean more optimistic sentiment than then, lower readings less.

Consumer Confidence Index Screensaver

The Consumer Confidence Index screensaver shows the real, live University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, tracked over time. It is free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the Consumer Confidence Index screensaver works

The saver reads the real University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index from the Federal Reserve's own public data series.

The real current index value and its real change over the past year are shown alongside a real historical trend line.

The pipeline refreshes the series on its own schedule, matching the index's real monthly release.

No key is required for the published series.

How the Michigan sentiment survey works

The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers asks households about their finances and the economy, and its headline number is the Index of Consumer Sentiment. Questions cover personal finances now and expected, the outlook for business conditions, and whether it is a good time to buy major household items. The answers are combined into one index, set to 100 in the first quarter of 1966, so a reading means little without comparing it to history.

Because it is built from opinions, the index measures how people feel, not what they spend. It often moves with inflation, fuel prices, employment news and politics, and economists watch it as a possible early signal of spending, although the link is loose.

FRED, the database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, republishes the monthly series (UMCSENT), which is where the chart's values are drawn from; FRED notes the data is delayed by one month at the source's request. The survey itself reports a preliminary reading earlier in the month and a final reading later, and the two can differ. It is also distinct from the Conference Board's consumer confidence index, a separate survey that often gives a different reading.

A worked example

A real dip in sentiment during a period of economic uncertainty shows up clearly in the real historical trend line.

Settings & tips

Accent recolours the trend line.
The index is a real, widely watched U.S. consumer sentiment gauge.
The index updates monthly on the source's own real schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real economic data?: Yes — the real published University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.
Is a key needed?: No. It is a free, public economic data series.
How current is it?: As current as the index's real monthly release schedule.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
Is this the same as the Conference Board's index?: No. The Conference Board runs a separate survey with its own questions and methods, so its readings and the Michigan index can differ and sometimes move in opposite directions.
Does low sentiment mean a recession is coming?: Not reliably. Sentiment can fall because of price rises or political news without spending falling by the same amount. It is one indicator among many.
What does a value of 100 mean?: The index is scaled so that the first quarter of 1966 equals 100. Higher readings mean more optimistic sentiment than then, lower readings less.

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