Consumer Sentiment (CSI)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is it?

• The University of Michigan Survey of Consumer Sentiment Index is an economic indicator which measures the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation.

Why is it important?

• How confident people feel about stability of their incomes affect their economic decisions, such as spending activity, and therefore serves as one of the key indicators for the overall shape of the economy.

How do we interpret it?

• Rising value levels indicate improving consumer confidence. Decreasing value levels indicate the opposite.

Typical historical range

• As of December 31, 2020, +/- 1 standard deviation* of historical month-end values have ranged from 74.27% to 98.86%.¹