The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® declined by 3.8 points in December to 89.1, from 92.9 in November. …The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—plummeted by 9.5 points to 116.8 in December. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—held steady at 70.7. The Expectations Index has now tracked under 80 for 11 consecutive months, the threshold below which the gauge signals recession ahead. The cutoff for preliminary results was December 16, 2025. “Despite an upward revision in November related to the end of the shutdown, consumer confidence fell again in December and remained well below this year’s January peak. Four of five components of the overall index fell, while one was at a level signaling notable weakness,” said Dana M Peterson, Chief Economist.