The closure of the government has halted the release of crucial U.S. economic data, leaving less significant reports to provide insights into the economic landscape as of November. Therefore, Michigan University’s preliminary data release has gained renewed significance. This data highlights crucial details concerning consumer sentiment and inflation expectations.
Breaking News on U.S. Data
One of Friday’s notable developments was the release of Michigan’s economic indicators, which revealed important information regarding sentiment and inflation expectations. Given the interruptions in routine reports due to the government shutdown, this particular data release holds greater importance, featuring both positive and negative insights.
Recent figures showed Michigan University’s one-year inflation expectation at 4.7%, slightly higher than the forecast of 4.6%, while the consumer sentiment index was reported at 50.3, underperforming its prior reading of 53.6. The current conditions index decreased to 52.3 from what was previously anticipated.
The long-term inflation expectation significantly decreased, surpassing expectations by a wide margin. While the one-year inflation prediction remained largely unchanged from the previous month, the new data presents a more optimistic view compared to earlier pessimistic projections by Federal Reserve members.
Reflecting these changes, the consumer confidence index showed a decline, coming in at 50.3 compared to last year’s 71.8. Current economic conditions were notably lower than in October, and the consumer expectations metric also declined from the previous month and year.
Insights from Consumer Surveys
Director Joanne Hsu noted that consumer confidence dropped around 6% in November, influenced by a 17% decline in current personal finances and an 11% reduction in expectations for business conditions over the next year. Concerns over potential negative impacts are widespread, cutting across age, income, and political lines.
A significant outlier involved consumers within the top third of stock portfolio holders experiencing an 11% increase in confidence, buoyed by the stock market’s ongoing strength. This survey was concluded before recent elections, which saw Republicans facing disappointments, raising discussions about ending the filibuster, influencing market dynamics.
As for inflation expectations, there was a slight uptick from 4.6% last month to 4.7%, remaining below May figures. Long-term expectations fell to 3.6%, lower than both last month’s rate and the 2025 peak value recorded in April, indicating a more favorable inflation outlook compared to preceding months.
Improvement in inflation expectations suggests that concerns about the economy imply the need for continued interest rate cuts. With limited data available to gauge the current state of the economy, these figures favorably influence the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin 
$91,081 has rebounded to $101,000 but needs to surpass the $102,800 threshold for stable daily closure to confirm this upward movement.
