Investing.com - U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated unexpectedly in April, falling to a four-month low, industry data showed on Tuesday.
In a report, the Conference Board, a market research group said its index of consumer confidence fell to 95.2 this month from a reading of 101.4 in March, whose figure was revised from a previously reported 101.3. Analysts expected the index to increase to 102.5 in April.
The Present Situation Index decreased from 109.5 last month to 106.8 in April. The Expectations Index declined from 96.0 last month to 87.5 in April.
Commenting on the report, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center Lynn Franco said, “This month’s retreat was prompted by a softening in current conditions, likely sparked by the recent lackluster performance of the labor market, and apprehension about the short-term outlook."
EUR/USD was trading at 1.0960 from around 1.0947 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.5316 from 1.5305, while USD/JPY was at 119.00 from 119.01 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 96.35, compared to 96.46 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were lower. The Dow 30 shed 0.1%, the S&P 500 dipped 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite slumped 0.4%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,209.50 a troy ounce, compared to $1,204.00 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $57.17 a barrel from $57.14 earlier.