Consumer sentiment falls in August amid uncertainty about Iran war

Published August 14, 2026 11:41am ET | Updated August 14, 2026 11:41am ET



Consumer sentiment dropped more than expected this month, ending two months of improvement.

Consumer sentiment fell to 51, down from 55.2 in July, according to a preliminary reading of the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for August. That’s nearly an 8% decline from the month before. Sentiment is down 12.4% from a year ago.

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