With an interest rate for a fixed-rate mortgage at more than 7%, coupled with unrelenting high home prices, people in the market for a home are being forced to make tough decisions. Recent analysis, such as that from Realtor.com, report that renting is now a more cost-effective option than buying a starter home in the […]
Sam Bankman-Fried Trial Leaves Consumers Leery of Crypto Amid ETF Potential
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is once again capturing headlines as his trial is underway – in which he faces multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy charges related to FTX’s bankruptcy last year. At the time, FTX was one of the world’s largest crypto exchange platforms and its collapse made quite an impact on consumer confidence […]
Consumer Financial Health Declines Heading Into Q4
Where does the state of consumer financial health stand today? Recent results from the CivicScience Consumer Financial Health Index (CFHI), which measures how consumers respond to economic conditions and events in real-time, show that financial health is on the decline. Far from the high points in June and July when the index reached a score […]
Economic Sentiment Rebounds After Three Consecutive Drops
Economic sentiment increased over the past two weeks after reaching its lowest point since October 2022 in the last reading. The Penta-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) rose 0.9 points to 33.4. Three of the ESI’s five indicators increased over the past two weeks. Confidence in the overall U.S. economy increased the most, rising 2.8 points […]
Americans Continue Tapping Into Retirement Funds Early Amid Financial Stress, Wi...
Navigating personal finances has been rocky this year. As shown in the latest Economic Sentiment Index reading, confidence in personal finances reached a new low in over a year. Among factors leading the decline, high interest rates, 22-year high mortgage rates, and the resumption of student loan repayments all have many consumers looking into alternative […]
Job-Searching Is Up as Workers Search for Better Income and Job Flexibility
CivicScience constantly tracks breaking news events in its News & Insights section. For even deeper insights we won’t publish, get in touch. The latest jobs report released by the Labor Department last Friday may be strong enough to fend off further interest rate increases for the time being, according to sources. The still-strong labor market continued […]