The mood of consumers grew a little less dismal in April as the ceasefire in the Iran war raised hopes the conflict's economic disruptions would subside.

Consumer Confidence Ticked Up In April Amid Iran Ceasefire Optimism

Diccon Hyatt

Full Bio Diccon Hyatt is an experienced financial and economics reporter. He's written hundreds of articles breaking down complex financial topics in plain language, emphasizing the impact that economic currents would have on individuals' finances and the market. He has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Delaware.

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Published April 28, 2026

12:24 PM EDT

East Hampton, N.Y.: Gas station attendant Wojak Atur pumps gas for a customer at the Empire Gas Station in East Hampton , New York, on April 27, 2026.

Gas station attendant Wojak Atur pumps gas for a customer at the Empire Gas Station in East Hampton , New York, on April 27. James Carbone / Newsday RM via Getty Images

Key Takeaways

An index measuring consumer confidence ticked up in April but remained low enough to warn of a recession risk.
The Conference Board's index improved slightly when a ceasefire in the Iran war raised stock prices.
Measures of consumer confidence have signaled pessimism, raising concerns among economists about household spending in the coming months.

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The mood of consumers grew a little less dismal in April as the ceasefire in the Iran war raised hopes the conflict's economic disruptions would subside.

That's according to the Consumer Confidence Index, which edged up slightly to 92.8 from 92.2 in March, reaching its highest level since December, the Conference Board, an economic research think tank, said Tuesday.1 That was higher than forecasters' expectations, who called for the index to fall to 89.2

The survey was conducted April 1–22, capturing the ceasefire announcement earlier in the month and the subsequent surge in stock prices. Still, the index remained low by historic standards, with a sub-index measuring future expectations below 80, a level that usually signals a recession on the horizon.

The index is based on a survey of 3,000 U.S. adults, who answer questions about their expectations for inflation, their own spending plans, and their assessment of the job market and other aspects of the economy and their own finances.3

Economists view consumer confidence measures as a significant, although imperfect, indicator of how willing and able people are to spend money. It's an important consideration for the trajectory of the economy, since consumer spending accounts for most economic growth as measured by the Gross Domestic Product.

Consumer confidence measures have been flashing warning signs that people are in a pessimistic mood, and the uptick in April did little to change that trend. Economists cited surging gas prices as a result of the Iran war's disruption to oil supplies as a major factor behind the discontent.

What This Means For The Economy

Consumers don't necessarily cut back on spending when confidence is low, but economists are keeping an eye on the continued foul mood of the public and whether it will lead to reduced spending.

"People are clearly still worried about the war in Iran and high gas prices —and how long those high prices will stick around," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote in a commentary. "The Conference Board keeps pointing out that Americans over 35 are growing more pessimistic and their index shows especially strong declines for Gen X and Baby Boomers. This is important to monitor as Baby Boomers are now spending their wealth and how they feel will be critical for the economy.”

The increase in the index was driven by improvement in consumers' assessments of how easy it was to get a job, a downtick in inflation expectations, and an increase in the percentage of people who thought stocks would be higher in a year.

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The Conference Board's survey painted a different picture of consumer attitudes than the other major survey measuring consumer optimism, the University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment, which fell to its lowest level in the 70-year history of the poll in April. The two surveys ask different questions and are calculated differently, leading to them emphasizing different aspects of people's attitudes toward the economy.

"The design of the UofM survey makes it much more sensitive to changes in inflation than the Conference Board’s survey, which is more closely tied to developments in the labor market," Richard de Chazal, macro analyst at William Blair Equity Research, wrote in a commentary. "Hence, the divergence clearly shows exactly what is bothering consumers at the moment."

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The Conference Board. "US Consumer Confidence Edged Up Again in April."
MarketWatch. "U.S. Economic Calendar."
The Conference Board. "Technical Note."

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