Consumer sentiment continued to fall in February as worries over inflation and the possibility of higher prices to come from President Donald Trump ’s tariffs policy appeared to drive the University of Michigan’s monthly sentiment index down.

In the long term, it’s unclear whether Trump’s threatened trade war will bring domestic manufacturing back to the U.S. and start a new industrial renaissance. In the meantime, American consumers will likely be stuck holding the bag.

Respondents expect the inflation rate a year from now to be 4.3%, a 1-point jump from January and the highest level since November 2023.