The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index slid to 84.5 in January, far under market forecasts and the lowest reading since May 2014. “Confidence collapsed in January, as consumer concerns about both the present situation and expectations for the future deepened,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board. The downbeat mood comes despite robust GDP growth and solid consumer spending, raising fears that the benefits of recent economic gains are not being shared evenly across households. Economists said the sharp contrast between strong economic indicators and weak sentiment points to a widening divide between wealthier and poorer households. The “present situation” sub-index fell to 113.7 in January from 123.6 the month before, its lowest level since February 2021.