According to CoinMeta, a survey released on Friday showed that the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index fell slightly in October to near record lows. The reason is the rise in prices caused by conflicts in the Middle East. As midterm elections in Congress, which focus on the issue of affordability, approach, this has led families to become more pessimistic about the economic outlook. The University of Michigan Consumer Survey report indicates that its Consumer Confidence Index dropped from a final value of 48.1 in September to 48.0 this month. Economists surveyed by Reuters had previously predicted the index to be 46.3, which was also the preliminary reading for October. The October reading is the second lowest on record, only above the historical low of 44.8 set in May. The director of the consumer survey project, Joanne Hsu, stated that the current Consumer Confidence Index is 10% lower than it was a year ago and 15% lower than it was in February before the outbreak of the Iran conflict.