12:55 PM EDT, 04/29/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer confidence declined in April by more than Wall Street's projections, extending the downward trend to a fifth straight month as expectations plunged to a 13-year low amid concerns related to tariffs, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.

The consumer confidence index fell by 7.9 points to 86 this month. The consensus in a Bloomberg survey was for an 88 level.

Confidence dropped across age and most income groups, with tariffs on top of consumers' minds, according to the Conference Board.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on imports, including from China. Trump later declared a 90-day pause on certain duties for non-retaliating countries, though Washington and Beijing have been in a deadlock over tariffs.

The expectations component shed 12.5 points to 54.4, the lowest point since October 2011 and well below the 80 threshold that signals an upcoming recession. The present situation measure edged down 0.9 point to 133.5 this month.

"The three expectation components -- business conditions, employment prospects, and future income -- all deteriorated sharply, reflecting pervasive pessimism about the future," Stephanie Guichard, senior economist of global indicators at the Conference Board, said.

About 32% of consumers expect fewer jobs in the next six months, near the April 2009 level, according to Guichard. Average 12-month inflation expectations hit the highest since November 2022, at 7%.

"Expectations about future income prospects turned clearly negative for the first time in five years, suggesting that concerns about the economy have now spread to consumers worrying about their own personal situations," Guichard said.