
Consumers Brace for Rising Prices: Inflation Expectations Surge
Consumers are bracing for a challenging year ahead as concerns over rising prices intensify. According to a report by Yahoo! Finance, inflation expectations have soared in the latest Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, contributing to a more pessimistic economic outlook. This development is significant as it influences Federal Reserve policies, given the potential inflationary impact on prices and wages.
The University of Michigan's index showed a slight dip from December's figure, moving from 74.0 to 73.2 in January. More notably, short-term inflation expectations have climbed to 3.3%, a substantial increase from December's 2.8% and the highest level recorded since May of the previous year. This surge in expectations echoes the broader sentiment captured by the IndexBox platform, which has observed similar trends in consumer behavior.
Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, highlighted that these heightened inflation concerns are prevalent across diverse demographic groups, with pronounced apprehension among lower-income consumers and Independents. A significant factor driving these expectations is the proposed tariff policies, which nearly one-third of survey respondents mentioned as a concern.
With the recent emphasis on tariffs as part of economic policy changes, there is growing anxiety about their potential impact on living costs. IndexBox data also reflects this shift, showing an uptick in consumer goods acquisition as people anticipate future price hikes. The Wells Fargo team has noted that such consumer behavior, which aims to circumvent anticipated cost increases, inadvertently fuels inflation by boosting demand.
As inflation has tapered from its peak of 9.1% in 2022 to 2.7% by November 2024, it remains above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. The "buy it before the price goes up" mentality poses a challenge to sustained progress in stabilizing prices, underscoring the delicate balance required to manage consumer sentiment and economic policy effectively.
1. INTRODUCTION
Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business
- REPORT DESCRIPTION
- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE AI PLATFORM
- DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
- GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Quick Overview of Market Performance
- KEY FINDINGS
- MARKET TRENDS This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional EditionPRO
3. MARKET OVERVIEW
Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects
- MARKET SIZE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- MARKET FORECAST TO 2035
4. MOST PROMISING PRODUCTS FOR DIVERSIFICATION
Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business
- TOP PRODUCTS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS
- BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
- MOST CONSUMED PRODUCTS
- MOST TRADED PRODUCTS
- MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCTS FOR EXPORT
5. MOST PROMISING SUPPLYING COUNTRIES
Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain
- TOP COUNTRIES TO SOURCE YOUR PRODUCT
- TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES
- TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
- LOW-COST EXPORTING COUNTRIES
6. MOST PROMISING OVERSEAS MARKETS
Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export
- TOP OVERSEAS MARKETS FOR EXPORTING YOUR PRODUCT
- TOP CONSUMING MARKETS
- UNSATURATED MARKETS
- TOP IMPORTING MARKETS
- MOST PROFITABLE MARKETS
7. PRODUCTION
The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry
- PRODUCTION VOLUME AND VALUE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
8. IMPORTS
The Largest Import Supplying Countries
- IMPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- IMPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
9. EXPORTS
The Largest Destinations for Exports
- EXPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- EXPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS
The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles
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11. COUNTRY PROFILES
The Largest Markets And Their Profiles
This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO- United States
- China
- Japan
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- France
- Brazil
- Italy
- Russian Federation
- India
- Canada
- Australia
- Republic of Korea
- Spain
- Mexico
- Indonesia
- Netherlands
- Turkey
- Saudi Arabia
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Nigeria
- Poland
- Belgium
- Argentina
- Norway
- Austria
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- Colombia
- Denmark
- South Africa
- Malaysia
- Israel
- Singapore
- Egypt
- Philippines
- Finland
- Chile
- Ireland
- Pakistan
- Greece
- Portugal
- Kazakhstan
- Algeria
- Czech Republic
- Qatar
- Peru
- Romania
- Vietnam
LIST OF TABLES
- Key Findings In 2024
- Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Per Capita Consumption, by Country, 2022–2024
- Production, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Import Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Export Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
LIST OF FIGURES
- Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Consumption, by Country, 2024
- Market Volume Forecast to 2035
- Market Value Forecast to 2035
- Market Size and Growth, By Product
- Average Per Capita Consumption, By Product
- Exports and Growth, By Product
- Export Prices and Growth, By Product
- Production Volume and Growth
- Exports and Growth
- Export Prices and Growth
- Market Size and Growth
- Per Capita Consumption
- Imports and Growth
- Import Prices
- Production, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Production, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Production, by Country, 2024
- Production, In Physical Terms, by Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
- Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Import Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
- Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Export Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)