U.S. Consumer Confidence Falls to 18-Month Low Amid Shutdown

Photographer: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg
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U.S. consumer confidence slumped in January to the weakest level since July 2017 as optimism on the economy soured during the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown.

The confidence index fell to 120.2 from 126.6, the New York-based Conference Board said in a report Tuesday. That missed economist estimates in a Bloomberg survey calling for a drop to 124. The measure gauging consumer expectations slumped to the lowest since October 2016 while Americans’ views on present conditions weakened for a second month.