UMich Inflation Expectations Rise, Driven By Downbeat Democrats

The headline UMich Sentiment survey rose to its highest since April to end the year, thanks to a post-election surge in Current Conditions that more than dominated a dip in Expectations...

Source: Bloomberg

Inflation expectations were mixed with the short-term rising and longer-term falling post-election...

Source: Bloomberg

But breaking down inflation expectation by political party... it's pretty easy to see which way The FOMC leans...

Source: Bloomberg

Overall, Republicans are significantly more confident than Democrats since the election...

Source: Bloomberg

UMich's Director of Surveys, Joanne Hsu, notes that "Broadly speaking, consumers believe that the economy has improved considerably as inflation has slowed, but they do not feel that they are thriving; sentiment is currently about midway between the all-time low reached in June 2022 and pre-pandemic readings."