Equifax Market Pulse Index Indicates Improved Financial Progress Among Consumers within Lower Credit Tiers

Equifax (NYSE: EFX) released its third quarter 2025 Market Pulse Index, which rose to 61.6 by end of September 2025, a +0.35% quarter-over-quarter and +0.14% year-over-year change.

Rhea-AI Summary

Equifax (NYSE: EFX) released its third quarter 2025 Market Pulse Index, which rose to 61.6 by end of September 2025, a +0.35% quarter-over-quarter and +0.14% year-over-year change. The index synthesizes credit, debt, income, and assets with VantageScore 4.0 to gauge U.S. consumer financial health on a 1–100 scale.

Key takeaways: lower-credit-score consumers (below 580) saw a >0.40% quarterly gain—the first quarterly increase for that tier since March 2024—and Gen Z’s average index rose to 59.04 with wide variability across cohorts.

Argus Jan 16 session

+0.16% close to close Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – EFX

On Jan 16, the day this news came out, EFX closed 0.16% above the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Jan 16 session.

Key Figures

Market Pulse Index level: 61.6 Index QoQ change: 0.35% Index YoY change: 0.14% +5 more

Market Pulse Index level

61.6

Q3 2025 headline Index value for U.S. consumers

Index QoQ change

0.35%

Quarter-over-quarter increase by end of September 2025

Index YoY change

0.14%

Year-over-year increase in Market Pulse Index

Gen Z Index

59.04

Gen Z Market Pulse Index, up 0.71% QoQ and 0.34% YoY

Millennial Index

58.82

Millennials Market Pulse Index, +0.17% QoQ, -0.04% YoY

Gen X Index

60.9

Gen X Market Pulse Index, +0.31% QoQ and 0.12% YoY

Baby Boomer Index

64.5

Baby Boomers Market Pulse Index, +0.45% QoQ and 0.35% YoY

Traditionalist Index

65.7

Traditionalists Market Pulse Index, +1.30% QoQ and 0.99% YoY

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Dec 17

5 events

1. Dec 17

   Patent expansion

   24h Move

   +0.6%

   Reported 27 new H2 2025 patents, reinforcing AI and cloud innovation.

2. Dec 10

   Product launch

   24h Move

   +3.0%

   Launched Income Qualify and cut VantageScore 4.0 mortgage pricing.

3. Dec 04

   Survey insights

   24h Move

   +0.7%

   Released Social Services Outlook Index on efficiency and automation trends.

4. Dec 01

   Investor outreach

   24h Move

   -0.1%

   Announced participation in December financial and technology conferences.

5. Nov 18

   Partnership update

   24h Move

   -0.2%

   Kikoff integration of Optimal Path score planner for over one million members.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

k-shaped economy, vantagescore 4.0, debt-to-income, delinquency rate, +1 more

5 terms

k-shaped economy financial

""K-Shaped" economy is widening, but credit shows signs of stabilizing"

A k-shaped economy describes a recovery where some companies, industries and workers bounce back quickly while others keep falling or stagnate, creating a widening gap between winners and losers. For investors it matters because gains concentrate in a few sectors or firms—like one arm of a K shooting up while the other drops—so picking the right industries, balancing risk across assets and watching income or demand trends can be crucial to protect and grow capital.

vantagescore 4.0 financial

"with VantageScore 4.0 insights by capturing the combined effects"

VantageScore 4.0 is a consumer credit score model that summarizes a person’s creditworthiness into a single number, using up-to-date credit file information and modern statistical methods. Think of it as a quick “risk score” like a one-number weather forecast for a borrower: lenders and investors use it to decide who gets loans, at what price, and to estimate default risk in consumer lending portfolios, so shifts in average scores can affect credit availability and financial returns.

debt-to-income financial

"driven, in part, by gains in debt-to-income and household affluence metrics"

The debt-to-income ratio (DTI) compares a person’s regular debt payments to their income, showing what portion of earnings goes to bills like loans, credit cards and mortgages. Think of it as the slice of a paycheck already promised to lenders; a larger slice means less financial flexibility and a higher chance of missed payments. Investors use DTI to gauge credit risk, loan performance and consumer spending power, which affect lenders’ profits and default rates.

delinquency rate financial

"combined with a 60-plus day delinquency rate that continues to be high"

The delinquency rate measures the share of loans or credit accounts with payments past their due date, usually expressed as a percentage of the total loan balance or number of accounts. It matters to investors because rising delinquency rates are an early warning that borrowers are struggling, which can lead to higher losses, tighter lending and weaker profits for banks, lenders and investors in loan-backed securities — like seeing more people miss car payments in a town.

ai/ml technical

"built using AI/ML methods leveraging proprietary Equifax wealth and asset data"

AI/ML stands for artificial intelligence and machine learning, software systems that identify patterns in data and make predictions or automate decisions, improving performance as they process more information. Investors care because these technologies can boost revenue, cut costs and create competitive advantages — like a factory that learns to produce goods faster and with fewer mistakes — while also introducing execution, ethical and regulatory risks that can affect a company’s value.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Third Quarter 2025 Market Pulse Index Shows Improvement Among Gen Z, With Wide Variability

ATLANTA, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax^® (NYSE: EFX) today released its third quarter 2025 Market Pulse Index, which by the end of September 2025 rose slightly to 61.6, reflecting a quarter-over-quarter increase of 0.35% and a year-over-year increase of 0.14%. The data indicates that while the long-standing "K-shaped" economy is widening, the financial divide between high and low credit score tiers is no longer expanding at the rate observed in the last several years. The report also indicates growing financial momentum for Gen Z but with wide variability across low and high Market Pulse Index values.

The Market Pulse Index provides a comprehensive view of U.S. consumer financial health by synthesizing anonymized data on credit, debt, income, and assets with VantageScore 4.0 insights by capturing the combined effects of multiple economic forces rather than focusing on a single variable. Measured on a scale of 1 to 100—where 100 represents the greatest financial strength—the Index delivers a holistic picture of consumer economic well-being, allowing for precise comparisons across diverse demographics and generations.

"K-Shaped" economy is widening, but credit shows signs of stabilizing

Since the pandemic ended, higher-income and higher-asset U.S. households have strengthened their financial positions, while those with fewer resources faced deeper financial pressure. However, in the third quarter of 2025, consumers with VantageScore 4.0 credit scores below 580 saw their Market Pulse Index value rise by over 0.40%, nearly double the rate for consumers with the highest credit scores. The result marks the first quarterly increase to the Market Pulse Index value for populations in the lower credit score tier since March 2024.

"The increase to the Market Pulse Index value has been driven, in part, by gains in debt-to-income and household affluence metrics combined with a 60-plus day delinquency rate that continues to be high but stabilizing," said Emmaline Aliff, Advisory Leader at Equifax. "This suggests early signs of credit scores stabilizing among the most vulnerable consumers, though there's still room for caution and improvement in additional components to individual financial status with respect to wealth disparity."

Gen Z average Market Pulse Index improves, but with wide variability

The Market Pulse Index indicates growing financial progress among Gen Z. In the third quarter of 2025, Gen Z surpassed Millennials in average Market Pulse Index value but with a greater degree of variability across low and high values than the other age groups. This suggests that even in the face of rising inflation, some portions of Gen Z are able to adapt to their economic environment more quickly as they enter the workforce and get established in their financial lives.

Generational Market Pulse Index data reveals that:

• Gen Z has a Market Pulse Index of 59.04, up 0.71% quarter-over-quarter and 0.34% year-over-year but with wide variability, reflecting some improving financial stability on average as more of this cohort enters the workforce and builds credit, but also may be benefitting from generational wealth that offers near-term stability.
• Millennials have a Market Pulse Index of 58.82, rising just 0.17% quarter-over-quarter and fell 0.04% year-over-year, indicating less change amid financial pressures such as housing and childcare costs.
• Gen X has a Market Pulse Index of 60.9, a 0.31% quarter-over-quarter and 0.12% year-over-year increase, reflecting steady but moderate improvement.
• Baby Boomers have a Market Pulse Index of 64.5, up 0.45% quarter-over-quarter and 0.35% year-over-year, supported by accumulated assets.
• Traditionalists (Silent Generation) have a Market Pulse Index of 65.7 and the largest quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year increases of 1.30% and +0.99%, respectively, underscoring the stabilizing effect of long-term savings.

"Even with the current variability, the financial momentum illustrated in the Market Pulse Index among the Gen Z population presents lenders and retailers with a timely opportunity to build long-term relationships with a rapidly expanding economic force," said Aliff.

The Equifax Market Pulse Index was built using AI/ML methods leveraging proprietary Equifax wealth and asset data along with data from the Equifax credit file and VantageScore 4.0 to provide a comprehensive view of consumer financial health. It distills the credit, debt, income, capacity, and assets of U.S. consumers into one benchmark number to reflect the cumulative index of both positive and negative financial factors. To learn more, read the full Market Pulse Index report here.

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.

At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by nearly 15,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Tiffany Smith for Equifax

mediainquiries@equifax.com

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SOURCE Equifax Inc.

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did Equifax report for the Market Pulse Index value in Q3 2025 for EFX?

Equifax reported a Market Pulse Index of 61.6 for Q3 2025, up 0.35% quarter-over-quarter.

How did lower-credit-score consumers perform in the Equifax Market Pulse Index for Q3 2025?

Consumers with VantageScore 4.0 scores below 580 saw their Market Pulse Index rise by >b>0.40% quarter-over-quarter, the first increase since March 2024.

What change did Gen Z show in Equifax’s Market Pulse Index in Q3 2025?

Gen Z averaged a Market Pulse Index of 59.04, up 0.71% quarter-over-quarter, with greater variability across low and high values.

How do other generations compare in the Q3 2025 Market Pulse Index (EFX)?

Millennials: 58.82; Gen X: 60.9; Baby Boomers: 64.5; Traditionalists: 65.7, with modest quarter-over-quarter gains reported.

What does the Market Pulse Index measure and how is it scaled for EFX?

The index combines anonymized credit, debt, income, assets and VantageScore 4.0 into a single benchmark scaled 1–100, where 100 is greatest financial strength.

What factors did Equifax cite as driving the Q3 2025 Market Pulse Index changes?

Equifax attributed changes to improvements in debt-to-income and household affluence metrics and a high but stabilizing 60-plus day delinquency rate.