US consumer confidence rebounds in May, but tariff fears linger

US optimism rises after tariff pause, survey shows

Lola Evans
31 May 2025, 09:11 GMT+10

US consumer confidence rebounds in May, but tariff fears linger

After months of steady decline, U.S. consumer confidence saw a significant rebound in May—buoyed in part by a temporary easing in trade tensions between Washington and Beijing
However, despite the improvement, anxiety around tariffs remains a persistent concern for American households
According to the Conference Board, its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points to 98.0 this month, ending a five-month slide

WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of steady decline, U.S. consumer confidence saw a significant rebound in May—buoyed in part by a temporary easing in trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. However, despite the improvement, anxiety around tariffs remains a persistent concern for American households.

According to the Conference Board, its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points to 98.0 this month, ending a five-month slide. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected a much smaller uptick to 87.0.

The survey showed that while optimism was already starting to build earlier in the month, sentiment picked up more noticeably following the White House's May 12 announcement that it would reduce tariffs on Chinese imports to 30 percent from 145 percent for a 90-day period.

"The rebound was already visible before the May 12 U.S.-China trade deal but gained momentum afterward," said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist for global indicators at the Conference Board. "Write-in responses on what topics are affecting views of the economy revealed that tariffs are still on top of consumers' minds."

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