United States consumer confidence beats estimates in March despite cooling labor market

Mar 31, 2026, 2:04:08 PM UTC(6 hours ago)

Impact: Medium

Affected Assets

The Conference Board reported consumer confidence reached 91.8 in March 2026, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of 87.9.
Job openings for February 2026 settled at 6.882 million, slightly missing the 6.890 million forecast as the labor market shows signs of stabilization.
Market analysts noted that the rise in confidence occurred despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and higher energy prices impacting discretionary spending.
The share of consumers reporting that jobs are hard to get rose to 20.6 percent in February, marking the highest level since early 2021.
Economists suggest a disconnect remains between subdued sentiment and resilient nominal spending, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of US GDP.

*US MARCH CONSUMER CONFIDENCE 91.8; EST. 87.9 *US FEB. JOB OPENINGS 6.882M; EST. 6.890M