September US RealClearMarkets/TIPP Optimism Index Rises to Six-Month High

10:22 AM EDT, 09/01/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The first look at consumer confidence for September improved from August, with the RealClearMarkets' monthly index rising to 45.6 from 45.1 in the previous month on increases in two of its components. The index reading was the highest since March. A reading above 50 suggests optimism, while a reading below 50 suggests pessimism. The six-month outlook index rose to 41.3 in September from 39.9 in August, the outlook for personal finances decreased to 52.7 from 53.0 and the measure of confidence in Federal Economic Policies rose to 42.9 from 42.3. The Financial Related Stress Index was unchanged at 64.7 in September from the previous month, an indication financial concerns held steady at August's level. "September's headline gain conceals a widening divide," Raghavan Mayur, the head of polling company TechnoMetrica said. "The index rose half a point to 45.6, its best reading since March, and the forward-looking Six-Month Outlook recovered much of what it lost in August. But almost all of that improvement came from Americans who own stocks." Mayur noted that investor optimism surged to a reading of 61.5 while non-investor confidence fell to 37.9, leaving the gap between the two at 23.6 points, the largest since March 2023.