Consumer Confidence in Overall Economy and Tech Sector Reflect Seasonal Declines, According to CEA Index

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consumer confidence in the overall economy and technology both fell in January, according to the latest figures released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^®. These declines are consistent with post-holiday results in previous years.

“Consumers are taking a wait-and-see approach to the New Year.”

Consumer confidence in the overall economy decreased in January to 168.0 points. The CEA Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE), which measures consumer expectations about the broader economy, fell 3.0 points from December and is down 9.3 points, year-over-year.

“Overall economic sentiment decreased slightly in January after the spike from the holiday season,” said Shawn DuBravac, CEA’s chief economist and senior director of research. “Consumers are taking a wait-and-see approach to the New Year.”

The CEA Index of Consumer Technology Expectations (ICTE), which measures consumer expectations about technology spending, fell 14.3 points in January to 83.0. The ICTE is down 5.0 points from this time last year.

“These declines are consistent with seasonality of the post-holiday season,” said DuBravac. “As we saw earlier this month at the 2013 International CES, excitement is high for the innovative tech products we will see hit the market later this year.”

The CEA Indexes comprise the ICE and ICTE, both of which are updated on a monthly basis through consumer surveys. New data is released on the fourth Tuesday of each month. CEA has been tracking index data since January 2007. To find current and past indexes, charts, methodology and future release dates, log on to CEAindexes.org.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $209 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org, www.DeclareInnovation.com and through social media: https://www.facebook.com/#!/CEAfeed http://twitter.com/ceafeed http://blog.ce.org/.

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