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Stories Tagged as

Consumer spending

Consumer sentiment rises again as inflation pressures ease

by Mitchell Hartman
Nov 8, 2024
The University of Michigan survey was done before Election Day. Optimism about future economic conditions is at best level in nearly four years.
Most Americans don't believe that which leader is in power has a big effect on their economic lives, according to The Conference Board. Prices and inflation top most consumers' lists.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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Strong consumer spending continues to bolster GDP

by Kristin Schwab
Oct 30, 2024
GDP grew at a healthy 2.8% pace. Current spending levels may provide a welcome "not too hot, not too cold" scenario for the Federal Reserve.
Consumer spending may be at a level that balances a healthy job market with stable prices.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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Election 2024

Despite their feelings about the economy, consumers keep on spending

by Mitchell Hartman
Oct 17, 2024
September retail sales excluding vehicles and gasoline were up 0.7%. But consumers report uncertainty about the election and how it will impact the economy.
There is a big contradiction in this continued retail spending rally.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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How inflation is impacting the way we eat, when we go to restaurants and how we tip

by Sabri Ben-Achour and Alex Schroeder
Sep 10, 2024
In its latest report on restaurants, Toast finds a shift toward restaurant spending in the mornings, away from lunch and dinner.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Consumers just keep spending, fueling GDP growth

by Kristin Schwab
Jul 25, 2024
Second quarter gross domestic product growth was 2.8%. That’s double the GDP growth in the first quarter of the year.
What really drives GDP, especially the acceleration in the past few months, is consumers.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Buy now, pay later programs — useful tool or slippery slope?

by Savannah Peters
Jun 18, 2024
At a time of high prices and interest rates, BNPL offerings are tempting. But they could lead vulnerable consumers into a debt spiral.
BNPL users generally carry more debt and have less money in the bank, according to research from the Boston Fed.
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Lower-income consumers are spending less. When will the rest of the economy follow?

by Kimberly Adams
May 31, 2024
As you might expect, it's hard to say.
Consumers are starting to change behavior due to sustained higher prices, which have drained savings and pushed more people to rely on credit.
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Dwindling savings and changing consumer tastes have hit Target hard

by Caleigh Wells
May 22, 2024
Meanwhile, its competitors are doing pretty well, including Walmart, where groceries account for 60% of sales.
Most of that extra cushion in people’s savings accounts from the pandemic is now gone, says Columbia professor Brett House.
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Retail sales figures suggest consumers are pulling back

by Mitchell Hartman
May 15, 2024
The latest figures, for April, suggest that rising prices, high interest rates and depleted pandemic savings may finally be weighing on spending.
In surveys, consumers report they’re increasingly worn down by inflation, said Morning Consult's Claire Tassin.
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Americans are saving less. That might actually be a sign of economic strength.

by Henry Epp
Apr 26, 2024
If interest rates fall, expect savings rates to do the same.
A lot of people might still be holding on to some of the money they tucked away earlier in the pandemic, says Tim Quinlan, senior economist at Wells Fargo.
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