Consumer

Economic data and analysis related to Consumer

Consumer Sentiment

Consumer Confidence Cracks Deepen: September 25, 2026 Report Reveals a 7% Sentiment Plunge and Rising Inflation Fears

The University of Michigan’s September 25, 2026 consumer sentiment release dropped like a cold splash of water on the market’s optimism. Headline sentiment didn’t just “tick down”—it plunged **7.0%...

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Retail Sales

August Retail Sales Bounce Back, But Don’t Let the Nominal Numbers Fool You: September 16, 2026 Census Report Unpacked

The Census Bureau’s **September 16, 2026** retail sales release delivered a mixed bag: a **revised July decline of -0.5%** followed by a **robust 1.2% nominal increase in August**. On the surface, ...

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Consumer Sentiment

Consumer Sentiment Crashes 7.5% in September: The Sharpest Drop Since 2022

The University of Michigan’s preliminary Consumer Sentiment report, released on **September 11, 2026**, paints a stark picture of growing consumer unease. While the official narrative downplays the...

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Consumer Credit

Consumer Credit Growth Picks Up Steam in July 2026, but High Costs Keep Households on Edge

The Federal Reserve’s September 8, 2026 G.19 release reveals a clear acceleration in consumer credit growth, with total credit expanding at a **4.2% seasonally adjusted annual rate in July**, up fr...

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Retail Sales

Retail Sales Show Cracks Beneath a Steady 5% YoY Growth: Census Data August 14, 2026

The latest **Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services report, released August 14, 2026**, delivers a mixed bag that demands a closer look beyond the headline. On the surface, retail sales...

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Consumer Sentiment

Consumer Sentiment’s Slow Burn: August 28, 2026 Release Masks a Multi-Year Confidence Slide

The University of Michigan’s August 28, 2026 consumer sentiment report landed with the usual fanfare: a headline drop of roughly **6.3% month-over-month** and an **11.2% year-over-year decline** in...

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Retail Sales

Retail Sales in June 2026: Flat Month, Inflated Headlines, and Hidden Consumer Strain

The Census Bureau’s **July 16, 2026** release on Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services (CB26-113) offers a mixed bag that savvy investors can’t afford to gloss over. At first glance, t...

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Consumer Credit

Consumer Credit’s Tepid Comeback: Q2 2026 Growth Slows to a Measured 2.6% (August 7 Release)

The August 7, 2026 consumer credit report offers a modest plot twist: after a stumble in Q1, credit growth quietly re-accelerated in Q2—but only to a low single-digit pace that’s a far cry from 202...

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Consumer Credit

“Unchanged” Isn’t Flat: May Consumer Credit Flow Turns Negative as Revolving Contracts 4.7%

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Retail Sales

Retail “Up” (Or Not): May Sales +0.9% With a Confidence Band That Includes Zero

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Consumer Sentiment

One Index, Two Stories: July 10, 2026 Release Puts a 44.8 Headline Over an 84.6 GOP Surge

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Consumer Sentiment

Sentiment, Smoothing, and Silence: The May 22, 2026 Release Claims “Alignment” Without the Numbers

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Retail Sales

Retail Sales Hit $757.1B in April, “Up 0.5%”—But the 2026-05-14 Release Comes With Asterisks

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Consumer Sentiment

Confidence Claims vs. Cold Numbers: The 2026-05-08 Release Can’t Hide a -54 for Insurance

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Retail Sales

E‑Commerce Carries the Load: March Retail Sales Up 1.7% MoM, 4.0% YoY—With Gasoline Quietly Padding the Headline

This analysis is based on the official press release dated 2026-05-14. And that’s the first problem: the document repeatedly references “April 21, 2026” inside—and, in places, even “2016.” When the...

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Retail Sales

Retail Sales Up 0.6%, But the April 21, 2026 Release Trips Over Its Own Footnotes

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Retail Sales

Retail Sales “Down” 0.2%? March 6, 2026’s Footnotes Say: Flat Is the Real Story

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Consumer

“Virtually Unchanged” Isn’t Stable: December Retail Sales Flat at $735.0B, But the Math Says “Indeterminate”

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Consumer

Soft Narrative, Stiff Reality: January’s Long-Run Inflation Median Hits 3.3%, Still Above 2024

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Consumer

Retail’s 0.6% “Pop” Rests on a −0.1% Base: November’s Momentum Isn’t What the Headline Implies

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Consumer

Flat Headline, Loud Spin: October Retail Sales Are “Virtually Unchanged” While Revisions Bite

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Consumer

Michigan Sentiment's Shell Game: How a 3.2% Inflation Reading Masks a Consumer in Crisis

The University of Michigan’s latest consumer survey, released **December 5, 2025**, wants you to celebrate. Long-run inflation expectations have “softened” to **3.2%**, a headline designed to sooth...

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retail_sales

Retail “Reacceleration” With Training Wheels: August’s +0.6% Gain Comes With a Confidence Interval That Includes Zero

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