[Gasoline price increases combined with trade tensions, U.S. consumer confidence declines] September 11th: U.S. consumer confidence declined in early September as rising gasoline prices and renewed trade tensions intensified U.S. consumers’ concerns about affordability of the cost of living. A University of Michigan survey released on Friday showed that the preliminary consumer confidence index fell to 47.8 from 51.7 in September, lower than the expectations of all economists in the survey. Consumers expect prices to rise 4.6% over the next year, up from the 4% expected the previous month. They also forecast price growth of 3.4% over the next five to 10 years, slightly higher than expected in August. Consumer confidence continues to slide as gasoline prices turn higher. As the war with Iran continues, U.S. gasoline prices have risen to their highest level for the same period in September. Rising gas prices have eroded Americans' incomes and further heightened concerns about the cost of living. Another set of data released earlier on Friday showed that the U.S. consumer price index rose 3.4% in August from a year earlier. Core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy, rose 0.3% month-on-month in August. For the first time since 2023, more than half of consumers expect interest rates to rise in the coming year as the Federal Reserve moves to curb inflation. Consumers' views on the economy in the coming year also deteriorated further in September, falling to their lowest level since July 2022. The current situation indicator dropped to 50.9 from 51.9 in the previous month, and the expectations index dropped sharply to 45.8 from 51.5. Consumer perceptions of both current and future financial situations have worsened.