Cautious Consumer Behavior Amid Inflationary Pressures

Consumer behavior and consumer affairs. Consumer confidence ticked down slightly in April after an increase in March. “The Present Situation Index declined, but remains quite high, suggesting the economy continued to expand in early Q2. Expectations, while still weak, did not deteriorate further amid high prices, especially at the gas pump, and the war in Ukraine. Vacation intentions cooled but intentions to buy big-ticket items like automobiles and many appliances rose somewhat," says Lynn Franco. On the other hand, Eddie Yoon weighs in on used cars and trucking trending downward, new vehicles being flat, and medical care services being up slightly. "Big picture, consumers continue to make macro decisions to help them both near and long term," he states.