KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Consumer confidence index fell to 97.4 in August

Job market concerns rise with fewer jobs and higher unemployment

Inflation pressures tied to tariffs may push prices higher

Recession expectations among consumers reach highest since April

Americans’ view of the U.S. economy declined modestly in August as anxiety over a weakening job market grew for the eighth straight month.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index ticked down by 1.3 points to 97.4 in August, down from July’s 98.7, but in the same narrow range of the past three months.

The small decline in confidence was in line with the forecasts of most of the economists who were surveyed.

A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and

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