Consumer Spending

Job Losses Set to Test Consumer Confidence and Spending

Job Losses Set to Test Consumer Confidence and Spending
Job Losses Set to Test Consumer Confidence and Spending
March 06, 2026  |  Economy

The latest labor market figures delivered an unexpected turn, with payrolls shrinking in February and the unemployment rate ticking higher, raising new questions about whether...

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Cautious Consumers Cause Earnings Slump for Discretionary Brands
Cautious Consumers Cause Earnings Slump for Discretionary Brands
March 06, 2026  |  Economy

Companies in the S&P 500 consumer discretionary sector are lagging behind other sectors in earnings due tohigh costs and soft demand, Bloomberg reported Friday (March...

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eCommerce Emerges as Bright Spot Amid Overall Retail Sales Dip
eCommerce Emerges as Bright Spot Amid Overall Retail Sales Dip
March 06, 2026  |  Retail

Consumer spending cooled slightly in January, although strong growth in digital retail channels suggests that the broader trajectory of household consumption remains intact. Advance estimates...

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Corporate Earnings Confirm PYMNTS Data on a Cautious but Active Consumer
Corporate Earnings Confirm PYMNTS Data on a Cautious but Active Consumer
March 04, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

Corporate earnings releases and conference calls often serve as a real-time test of economic narratives. Management observations offer insight into how consumers behave at the...

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FinTechs Target Budget Stress to Meet Affordability Crisis
FinTechs Target Budget Stress to Meet Affordability Crisis
March 04, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

There’s an affordability crisis rocking households in the United States. Housing, insurance, healthcare, childcare, transportation and other categories once expected to scale gradually with income...

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Why Income Gains Don’t Always Boost Spending
Why Income Gains Don’t Always Boost Spending
March 03, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

As the PYMNTS audience saw in Monday’s newsletter (March 2) there’s some wisdom to be gleaned from crowds. The occasion was the launch of the...

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Target Faces Pushback From Investors on Management Tactics
Target Faces Pushback From Investors on Management Tactics
March 01, 2026  |  Retail

Target is reportedly facing criticism from a group of investors unhappy with its management’s decisions. That’s according to a report Friday (Feb. 27) from Reuters,...

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The Three Blind Spots in How Consumer Sentiment Is Measured
The Three Blind Spots in How Consumer Sentiment Is Measured
February 26, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

In March 2020, government officials and epidemiologists were telling Americans to brace for a two-month shutdown. PYMNTS Intelligence went into the field and asked 1,923...

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