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.

Consumers grew dramatically more worried about near-term inflation as President Donald Trump pushed aggressive tariffs against major U.S. trading partners, a closely watched survey showed Friday.

Consumer sentiment continued to fall in February as worries over inflation and the possibility of higher prices to come from President Donald Trump ’s tariffs policy appeared to drive the University of Michigan’s monthly sentiment index down.