October 15, 2026 Insider Report

Consumer Confidence Collapse and Disappearing Trust

The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.1 in September, near an historic low, while one-year inflation expectations jumped to 4.6 percent. Survey director Joanne Hsu remarked : “Interviews reveal broad agreement across the political spectrum that the outlook for the economy has weakened since the beginning of the year.” Democrats’ sentiment has fallen 13 percent since January, and Republican sentiment has fallen 20 percent, a rare bipartisan gauge of economic anxiety in an otherwise polarized country.

Consumers are angry about more than inflation — there’s a growing sense that the referee has stopped calling fouls.