Washington, DC CNN —Persistently high inflation took a toll on Americans’ attitudes this month as many began to pay back student loans following a three-year hiatus.
The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index fell 7% in October from the prior month, according to a preliminary reading released Friday.
October marks the first month of Americans paying back their student loans since the pandemic-related pause.
The pause gave relief to more than 43 million Americans who have student loans, with the vast majority owing less than $40,000 and nearly one-third owing less than $10,000.
Expectations can worsen, the longer inflation remains elevated, so the upward pressure from higher gas prices on headline inflation can make Americans more pessimistic about inflation.
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DC CNN —, ”, Joanne Hsu, “
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