US Consumer sentiment fell in March on trade policy worries

U.S. consumers' confidence slipped this month, mainly due to concerns about the Trump administration's trade policies on the U.S. economy.  The University of Michigan on Friday said the preliminary result of its consumer-sentiment index was 97.8 in April, down from 101.4 in March.  The preliminary April reading was below the 100.0 that economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected.  The consumer sentiment index rose 0.8% in April from a year earlier.  A final reading for the month will be released April 27.  "The small decline was widely shared by all age and income subgroups and across all regions of the country," said Richard Curtin, the survey's chief economist.