You’d have to go back to the last few seismic shocks to the U.S. economy — the pandemic and the Great Recession — to find this level of economic gloom among consumers. As measured by the preliminary April reading of consumer sentiment released Friday (April...
The slight rise in consumer prices, as February’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Wednesday (March 12) showed, may just be (relative) calm before the inflationary storm. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 0.2% higher in February, as measured against January’s levels, and annualized inflation...
When it comes to payments, the “set it and forget it” option certainly has its allure. Providing card or account details to a provider ensures that the service being provided — say, a utility, or streaming media (or, separately, even an outstanding bill that’s being...
New government data shows American consumer debt continuing to grow. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data released its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit Wednesday (Nov. 13), showing a slight uptick in total household debt during the third quarter, up 0.8%...
September 01, 2025
On paper, earning $75,000 to $100,000 a year should place a household squarely in the American middle class. By historic standards, this income range signaled relative stability. Think: homeownership, college savings and maybe even a summer vacation. Yet today, a startling number of people in this bracket are living paycheck to paycheck, their financial security more precarious than […]
April 18, 2024
According to PYMNTS Intelligence, 62% of U.S. consumers now live paycheck to paycheck, and that includes 48% of consumers earning more than $100,000 annually. In other words, higher incomes do...
November 29, 2023
The latest report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, released on Wednesday (Nov. 29), noted the U.S. economy grew 5.2% annualized, as measured in the third quarter. That’s up from...
November 23, 2023
In today’s challenging economic climate, many consumers find themselves living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to make ends meet. This is why a significant number of these consumers have turned...
November 13, 2024
New government data shows American consumer debt continuing to grow. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data released its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit Wednesday (Nov. 13), showing a slight uptick in total household debt during the third quarter, up 0.8% ($147 billion) to $17.94 trillion. “Although household balances continue to […]
June 10, 2024
Consumers are more confident about the prospects for their household’s financial situation and the stock market than they’ve been in three years. The share of consumers who expect their financial...
February 02, 2024
Consumer sentiment has reached its highest level since July 2021, with consumers expecting improvements in both inflation and personal incomes. The index reached this level with a 13% month-over-month improvement...
October 04, 2023
More and more Americans are seeing income levels drop, a new labor market survey shows. As Bloomberg News reported Wednesday (Oct. 4), a survey by Morning Consult finds that the share of consumers with...