the numbers a survey of consumer sentiment rose slightly to 635 in april and rebounded from a fourmonth low but americans showed more anxiety about high inflation the index produced by the university of michigan rose from 62 in march the consumer sentiment reveals how americans feel about their own finances as well as the broader economy the public has been broadly pessimistic since last summer largely due to high inflation the index had fallen to a record low of 50 last summer before partly rebounding sentiment remains well below a recent peak of 883 in 2021 and a prepandemic high of 101 key details a gauge that measures what consumers think about the current state of the economy climbed to 686 from 663 in march a measure that asks about expectations for the next six months edged up to 603 from 592 in march both measures are still extremely low by historical standards however inflation expectations actuall got worse even though the most recent government reports showed easing price pressures consumers expect prices to increase 46 in the year ahead up from 36 in the prior month “they still expect high inflation to persist at least in the short run” said joanne hsu director of the survey in the longer run expectations were unchanged americans think inflation will average 29 annually in the next five years big picture persistent worries about high inflation and the threat of recession have depressed consumer sentiment for the past year attitudes are unlikely to improve much anytime soon the economy has slowed due to a sharp increase in interest rates fostered by the federal reserve to tackle inflation and rising stress on us banks could make it harder for consumers and businesses to borrow market reaction the dow jones industrial average djia and sp 500 spx fell in friday trades