The slight upticks in household finances and discretionary spending intentions seen in May are optimistic signals, but not enough to break longer-term downtrends
Article
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3-min read
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30 June 2025
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Deloitte Center for Consumer Industry | Deloitte Center for Global Economic Research
Steve is the managing director of Deloitte's Consumer Industry Center, Deloitte Services LP. He leads a team that conducts research to uncover new ways of thinking, working, and leading within the consumer industry through data and evidence driven analysis.
With more than 20 years of experience within consulting and high tech, Steve is especially interested in the intersection of technology, consumers, and business. He is focused on how industry leaders can deliver better results and the strategies organizations use to adapt to accelerating change.
Key insights about US consumers from Deloitte’s ConsumerSignals
Deloitte’s financial well-being index recovered slightly in May but remains down 6 points compared with December 2024 levels (figure 1).
Expectations of rising prices show signs of easing but remain elevated compared with late 2024 (figure 2).
Mirroring the bounce in financial sentiment, discretionary spending intentions saw the first uptick in nine months, but remain well below 2021 levels (figure 3).
Spending intentions continue to shift as essential costs climb (figure 4).
Steve is the managing director of Deloitte's Consumer Industry Center, Deloitte Services LP. He leads a team that conducts research to uncover new ways of thinking, working, and leading within the consumer industry through data and evidence driven analysis.
With more than 20 years of experience within consulting and high tech, Steve is especially interested in the intersection of technology, consumers, and business. He is focused on how industry leaders can deliver better results and the strategies organizations use to adapt to accelerating change.