American consumer spending remains undaunted by inflation, though it is requiring people to grow more resourceful. That’s according to a report Saturday (Oct. 3) by Bloomberg News, which said these resources include accessing their home equity, using food banks to save money for other purchases,...
Go figure. Inflation picked up in August. Real disposable income didn’t move much. Consumers responded by spending substantially more. The trends are more revealing about household finances than the headline 2.2% increase in second-quarter gross domestic product. The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ third estimate released...
Consumer sentiment slipped in September amid concerns about high prices and rekindled trade disputes, according to the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers. The survey’s final results for September showed that the Index for Consumer Sentiment declined by 7% compared to a month ago and...
Households continued to spend more in August, although at a slower rate than earlier in the year. The median reported year-over-year increase in monthly household spending was 4.7%, compared with 4.8% in April and 4.9% in December 2025, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of...
September 16, 2026
Consumers didn’t wait to shell out funds for cars, furniture and electronics in August. Retail sales rose 1.2% from July to $773.9 billion, reversing July’s 0.5% decline, with several categories associated with larger household purchases participating in the rebound. Electronics and appliance stores gained 1.6%, furniture and home furnishings rose 0.9%, and motor vehicle and […]
September 07, 2026
Labor Day finds Main Street approaching the fourth quarter with more ways to sell, get paid and source goods than it had four years ago. It also finds a substantial...
August 20, 2026
Years of inflation, promotions, personalized discounts and constantly shifting online prices have made shoppers better at finding deals. They have also made it harder for shoppers to know what anything...
August 12, 2026
Consumers are getting some inflation relief, at least in terms of the slowdown in price increases. They’re just not necessarily getting it on the bills that determine how much money...
October 04, 2026
As automotive technology evolves, cars are getting more and more expensive to repair. That’s because repair shops are being forced to spend more on software and calibration equipment, expenses that are being passed onto drivers, CNBC reported Saturday (Oct. 3). “The repairs of these vehicles are so sophisticated now and almost always require a laptop,” […]
October 04, 2026
American consumer spending remains undaunted by inflation, though it is requiring people to grow more resourceful. That’s according to a report Saturday (Oct. 3) by Bloomberg News, which said these...
September 28, 2026
Consumer sentiment slipped in September amid concerns about high prices and rekindled trade disputes, according to the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers. The survey’s final results for September showed...
September 13, 2026
American consumers are facing added strain as inflation continues to outpace wage growth. “A substantial number of Americans are worse off, their incomes are not keeping up with the price...
