The Conference Board's latest data reveal a resurgent, albeit fragile, upswing in US consumer confidence for May – a 12.3-point leap to 98 from April's nadir of 85.7, the lowest ebb since the pandemic's onset – interrupting a five-month downward spiral, seemingly buoyed by a marginal abatement of anxieties surrounding the macroeconomic ramifications of the Trump administration's tariff policies, though short-term expectations for income, business climate, and employment opportunities languish sub-80, presaging a potential economic downturn; this tentative resurgence occurred despite prevailing anxieties regarding both tariff implications and inflationary pressures dominating survey responses, eclipsing the morale boost provided by the Labor Department's report of 177,000 new jobs in April, yet paradoxically coinciding with a discernible uptick in planned expenditures across major discretionary categories such as housing, automotive purchases, and leisure travel.