The U.S. Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index released on Tuesday stood at 88.7 in November, down 6.8 points from 95.5 in October.
The Present Situation Index, based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, declined by 4.3 points to 126.9. The Expectations Index, which gauges consumers' short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, fell 8.6 points to 63.2.
Consumer confidence tumbled in November to its lowest level since April after months of moving sideways, said Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, adding that all five components of the overall index had either flagged or remained weak.
The Expectations Index has now been below 80 for 10 straight months, a level historically associated with a recession signal. The survey's preliminary data cutoff was Nov. 18.
Peterson also said consumers were notably more pessimistic about business conditions six months ahead, noting that mid-2026 expectations for labor market conditions remained decidedly negative, while expectations for higher household incomes shrank dramatically after six months of strongly positive readings.
Consumer sentiment regarding the labor market was more pessimistic in November, with only 27.6 percent of respondents saying jobs were "plentiful," down from 28.6 percent in October.
The survey results arrived the same day payroll processor ADP reported that U.S. private-sector employers shed an average of 13,500 jobs per week over the past four weeks ending Nov. 8.
U.S. consumer confidence index falls sharply in November
U.S. consumer confidence index falls sharply in November
U.S. consumer confidence index falls sharply in November
The two-day 2025 Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Conference concluded on Friday in Shanghai, where multiple globally leading "China solutions" took center stage.
Under the theme "Brain connects the world, wisdom gathers in Shanghai," the event gathered research teams from major universities, leading industry developers, and experts across the BCI sector to strengthen the connection between research, application, and policy.
As part of the event, the first BCI competition featured four categories—fatigue detection, emotion recognition, brain-controlled robotic cars, and brain-controlled robotic arms - with 40 out of nearly 100 teams from across China received prizes.
In the BCI Industry Innovation Exhibition Zone, more than a dozen frontier-tech companies presented cutting-edge technologies ranging from key components to comprehensive system-level solutions.
Exhibits spanned the entire technology chain, from underlying hardware to clinical applications, covering fields such as sleep intervention, mental illness treatment, and rehabilitation for degenerative diseases—highlighting the latest trends in BCI development.
"We completed the first domestic clinical trial this March, and next year we will launch large-scale clinical trials," said an exhibitor named Chen Yaoxu.
Shanghai has established China's first future industry cluster dedicated to BCI technologies. During the conference, several new innovation platforms—including a BCI service platform and a joint laboratory for digital neuromedicine - were inaugurated.
"We are guided by clinical needs and clinical scenarios. At the same time, we are opening high-quality EEG datasets for enterprises to support their algorithm research and guide them in developing concrete products that truly address real-world needs," said Wang Zhuoyao, BCI Project manager of Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission.
Shanghai conference highlights China's cutting-edge brain-computer interface innovations
