The New York Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE) provides timely and comprehensive information about consumer expectations through three broad categories: inflation, labor market and household finance. The SCE contains monthly insight about how consumers expect overall inflation and prices for food, gas, housing, education and medical care to change over time. It also provides Americans’ views about job prospects and earnings growth, as well as their expectations about future spending and access to credit. The SCE also provides measures of uncertainty in expectations for the main outcomes of interest. Expectations are available by age, income, education, numeracy and geography.
The median consumer inflation expectations at both the short and medium term horizon continue to be stable. Home price change expectations rose to 3.5%, their highest level this year. Median earnings growth as well as household spending growth expectations increased from the prior month. Labor market expectations (such as voluntary quits and likelihood of finding a job) also continued to improve. Credit availability expectations were largely unchanged.