U.S. consumer sentiment dropped unexpectedly in February to a seven-month low and inflation expectations rocketed as households feared it may be too late to avoid the negative effects on their purchasing power from President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs.

A rising number of Americans are anxious about the state of the US economy — and it's all about inflation. The latest University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey released Friday showed headline sentiment declined to its lowest level in seven months as pessimism over the inflation outlook drove down February's preliminary read and one-year

University of Michigan consumer survey Friday found consumer sentiment fell about 5% on fears inflation will rise to 4.3% under Trump administration tariffs with major U.S. trading partners.