Uni Michigan sentiment falls unexpectedly to 88.6 in May

US consumer sentiment fell to of 88.6 in May, a seven-month low, compared with a final April level of 95.9, a report from the University of Michigan said on Friday.

Analysts had expected the closely-monitored index to fall to 94.5 in May's preliminary reading.

Economists monitor readings on the gauge, which averaged 86.9 in the 12 months leading up to the recession, in a bid to shed light on consumer spending.

"Although this sharp fall back in confidence is a concern in light of the ongoing weakness of retail sales, it still doesn't explain why consumer spending has been quite as weak as it has been for the past few months," said Capital Economics' chief US economist Paul Ashworth.