Keyword → record low 48.2

Final May University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Due Today; Preliminary Hit Record Low 48.2 as Gas Prices and Tariffs Weigh

The University of Michigan releases its final May 2026 consumer sentiment reading Friday at 10 a.m. ET, with economists watching to see if the preliminary record-low print of 48.2 is revised up or confirmed. The preliminary showed sentiment essentially unchanged from April's prior record trough, with current conditions falling 9% as one-third of consumers cited gas prices and 30% cited tariffs as primary financial pressures, and year-ahead inflation expectations standing at 4.5% — signaling that the Iran war's economic toll on American households has not yet abated.