US consumer confidence plunged sharply in September to a level not seen since 2014, according to a key benchmark published on Tuesday, with US households battered by a high cost of living and economic uncertainty from the Iran war. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell by 6.7 points to 81.9 this month, its lowest level since April 2014. The high cost of living in the United States is a major issue as the country heads into key midterm elections in November, where Democrats are seeking to wrest control of Congress from US President Donald Trump's Republican Party. "Consumers' write-in responses regarding factors affecting the economy were mostly pessimistic in September," said Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board. "References to prices, the high cost of goods and services, and oil and gas prices in particular, rose to new heights, reflecting September's surge in fuel costs." Global oil prices have sky-rocketed since Trump and US ally Israel launched the war against Iran in late February, with Tehran's retaliatory action targeting Washington's allies in the Gulf and virtually shutting a key energy trading route. In the United States, the average price of a gallon of regular petrol is up almost 50 percent since the start of the war, according to data from the AAA motor club. "Comments about war/conflict eased this month but remained elevated," said Peterson. "Consumers also frequently cited politics, trade, and employment in their write-in responses, though to a lesser extent." Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said the new data was of concern. "American consumers are worried about this economy. That's alarming just as the most important shopping season of the year kicks off," she said, referring to the pre-Christmas period that the US retail sector relies on. (AFP) Edited by Cecil Wong

US stocks ended the session slightly lower on Tuesday, as government bond yields continued their ascent ahead of inflation and labour market data, while investors assessed comments from Federal Reserve officials for the path of interest rates. Longer-dated US Treasury yields rose, with the 30-year bond hitting 5.62 percent, its highest since June 2002. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond climbed to 5.29 percent – its highest level since June 2007. Stocks pared declines, however, as yields eased from their earlier highs and shorter-duration yields were down on the day as oil prices retreated on signs of a recovery in exports from the Middle East and comments from Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams. Williams said the US central bank has time to weigh the data before deciding when to hike interest rates again. Expectations for a rate hike of at least 25 basis points from the Fed at its October meeting declined to 51.5 percent, according to CME FedWatch, in the wake of Williams' comments, from nearly 70 percent earlier in the session. After retreating from highs at the start of the month, oil prices have accelerated higher in recent days as hopes that a US-Iran peace deal may be on the horizon have diminished. The rising prices of crude and diesel fuel have stoked inflation worries and pushed US Treasury yields higher. Fed officials have also indicated more rate hikes might be needed if price pressures fail to moderate after the central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points this month. Several key economic releases are due this week, including the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index from the Commerce Department on Wednesday, which could help shape the path of Fed policy. Labour market data, culminating in Friday's government payrolls report, will be released throughout the week. "PCE tomorrow is going to be big, so we'll see where that takes us," said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder in New York. "The amount of negativity from consumers here, especially with higher rates, higher gas prices, they're getting squeezed – the consumers getting squeezed here, and we might start seeing (stocks sell off), at least in the consumer names." Higher yields raise the cost of capital and can make bonds an appealing alternative to equities, while also potentially denting corporate earnings power. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 131 points, or 0.3 percent, to 51,349, the S&P 500 lost 12 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,670 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 22 points, or 0.1 percent, to 26,797. AI-related stocks were in focus as Anthropic's initial public offering prospectus showed how the AI lab has grown sharply in the last year but also posted wider losses. The company is targeting a US trillion-plus valuation, possibly setting a benchmark for how Wall Street measures AI leaders. Meta shares advanced 3.3 percent, even after OpenAI unveiled always-on agents called dots that chase user goals across apps on their own, seen as a competitor to Meta's newly released Muse. (Reuters) Edited by Cecil Wong