Consumer confidence in the US went up in May, as reported by the Conference Board, after five months of falling. The index rose by 12.3 points to 98, from 85.7 in April, which was the lowest point since the pandemic started. This increase seems mostly because worries about the economic effects of President Trump's tariffs became a bit less severe. However, the short-term outlook for income, business, and jobs stayed below 80, which might indicate a recession is approaching. The Labor Department announced that 177,000 jobs were created in April, which helped improve confidence, but concerns about tariffs and rising prices still had a strong impact on the survey results. Despite these concerns, people still planned to spend more on homes, cars, and holidays.