University of Michigan consumer sentiment
How confident US households feel about money.
The basics
A survey asks households about their finances and the economy. Confident households tend to spend more.
How to read the result
- Above the forecast
- Sentiment above the forecast often lifts the US dollar a little.
- Below the forecast
- Sentiment below the forecast often weakens the US dollar a little.
Going deeper
The survey’s inflation expectations, one and five years ahead, are watched by the Fed and can move markets more than sentiment itself.
FAQs
- Why can the price move the “wrong” way?
- Prices already reflect the forecast, so markets react to the surprise, not the number itself. Other parts of the same release, revisions to earlier months or other news in the same hour can outweigh the headline figure, and a first move often reverses within the hour.
- Should I close my trade before the release?
- That is your decision; this page does not give advice. What is certain is that prices can jump in seconds around big releases, spreads widen, and a stop loss can close at a worse price than the one you set. Many traders check their position size and stop before the release.