Consumers ‘Increasingly Burdened’ Across All Demographics Even Before Oil Spike

Joanne Hsu reacts to the latest Consumer Sentiment report out of the University of Michigan. She says consumer sentiment has been “treading water” the last few months and has been historically low. Worries about inflation because of the Iran conflict are putting more pressure on sentiment, possibly presaging a continued decline. Consumers feel “increasingly burdened” across demographics and believe their purchasing power will be eroded in the year ahead.

The Watch List

13 Mar 2026

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