02:45 PM EDT, 04/29/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell to 86.0 in April from a 93.9 reading in March due to declines in both the present situation and expectations.

The Conference Board noted more pessimism in current and future employment conditions, with the overall expectation reading falling to a 13-year low.

The FHFA home price index posted a 0.1% gain in February after a faster 0.3% increase in January. The index was 3.9% higher than a year ago.

Released at the same time, S&P Case-Shiller reported a 0.4% February home price gain, up from a 0.1% gain in January. The index was up 3.9% year-over-year, up from a 4.1% rate in the previous month.

The advance goods trade deficit widened to $161.99 billion in March from $147.85 billion in February, reflecting a surge in imports ahead of the Trump Administration's announcement of tariffs on April 2.

Advance wholesale inventories rose by 0.5% while advance retail inventories decreased by 0.1%. Wholesale inventories will be updated on May 8, while retail inventories are eligible for revision on May 15.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that job openings fell to 7.192 million in March from 7.480 million in February, while hiring rose to 5.411 million from 5.37 million.

At the same time, the number of people getting laid off declined and the number of quits also declined.

The Dallas Federal Reserve's services index reading fell to minus 19.4 in April from minus 11.3 in March.

Redbook reported that US same-store retail sales were up 6.1% year-over-year in the week ended April 26, slower than a 7.4% gain in the prior week due to the closing of stores on Easter Sunday. Retailers expect sales to pick up over the next few weeks, particularly for warmer weather items.

The final Q1 GDPnow estimate from the Atlanta Fed is for a 2.7% drop, revised down from a 2.4% decline reported on April 24. The first estimate of Q2 GDP is scheduled for Wednesday.