U.S. consumer sentiment fell slightly less than forecast in March amid stock market declines as Americans remained somewhat optimistic in their initial response to the coronavirus outbreak, though their outlooks signaled that they aren’t likely to remain as upbeat.
The University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index fell to 95.9 from 101 in February, according to data released Friday that slightly exceeded estimates in Bloomberg’s survey of economists. The composition showed the future expectations index fell more steeply, dropping 6.8 points to 85.3, than current conditions, down 2.3 points to 112.5.
