A delivery worker pushes a cart of packages. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images

American consumers are downbeat about the economy, according to preliminary results of a monthly survey conducted by the University of Michigan.

The index measuring consumer sentiment fell unexpectedly this month as inflation is on the rise and job prospects are worsening. Tariffs also remain a concern for consumers, the survey’s authors noted.

“Trade policy remains highly salient to consumers, with about 60% of consumers providing unprompted comments about tariffs during interviews,” they said, noting that the same thing happened in the previous month.

Economists polled by FactSet had been anticipating a minor improvement in consumer sentiment from August. Despite sentiment that’s near historic lows in

See Full Page