The Conference Board's Expectations Index dropped to a five-month low in December, nearing a threshold that typically signals a recession ahead.

A post-election pop in consumer confidence fizzled at the end of the year owing to worries about the U.S. stock market and a potentially higher cost of living from new tariffs. The index of consumer confidence dropped 8.

Confidence among American consumers dropped unexpectedly in December, with expectations growing bleaker for the economic situation in the new year.

The post-election bump in consumer confidence in November now looks like a blip, at least by one measure. Long-running economic pessimism lives on despite solid economic conditions — a sign the next administration might see consumer moods at odds with economic indicators.