Confidence among U.S. consumers slumped in December, driven by growing pessimism about future economic and labor market conditions, according to a Dec. 23 report from The Conference Board, reflecting a pullback in optimism that surged in the immediate wake of the 2024 presidential election. The group’s headline consumer confidence index fell 8.1 points to 104.7 in December, erasing gains made in November, with the decline most concentrated in middle-income households. The present situation index, which assesses consumers’ views on a mix of current business and labor conditions, edged down slightly to 140.2. The decline was driven mostly by a deterioration in appraisals of the current business situation in the United States, with 16.7 percent saying business conditions were “bad,” up from 15.3 percent who expressed that view in November….