PANews reported on April 11 that according to Jinshi, U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated sharply in April, and 12-month inflation expectations soared to the highest level since 1981 as escalating trade tensions were disturbing. On Friday, the University of Michigan's consumer confidence index fell to 50.8 from the final value of 57.0 in March, and economists predicted that the index would fall to 54.5. "This decline is widespread and consistent across ages, incomes, education, geographic regions, and political factions," said Joanne Hsu, director of the Center for Consumer Surveys. "Consumers reported multiple warning signs that increase the risk of a recession: expectations for business conditions, personal finances, income, inflation, and the labor market all continued to deteriorate this month."