US Consumer Sentiment Falls to Lowest Since May

Group 1 - The University of Michigan sentiment index for September has unexpectedly dropped to 55 from 58, indicating a deterioration in Americans' views of the economy [1] - Current conditions index decreased slightly to 61.2 from 61.7, while expectations index fell to 51.8 from 55.9, reflecting growing pessimism [1] - The one-year inflation index remains unchanged at 4.8%, while the 5 to 10-year inflation expectation increased to 3.9% from 3.5%, suggesting concerns about long-term inflation [2] Group 2 - There is a significant disparity between the Consumer Price Index (CPI) at 3.1% and the one-year inflation number at 4.8%, indicating a growing pessimism among Americans [3] - The increase in consumer prices and the impact of tariffs are contributing factors to the negative sentiment regarding the economy [3]