"It's not that Americans or the data are wrong - consumers do have legitimate concerns. It's that some of the financial pressures people are feeling, like increased financing costs for auto loans or closing costs on home mortgages, don't necessarily show up in the major datasets like the Consumer Price Index,"
"There is some uncertainty mostly driven by the new global tariffs, but overall the U.S. economy is doing reasonably well, economists say."
"A lot of the pessimism doesn't seem consistent"
U.S. macroeconomic indicators show moderate health: core inflation was about 3.1 percent in August and unemployment stood at 4.3 percent. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates. Consumer sentiment is sharply pessimistic: only 25 percent believe they have a good chance to improve their standard of living and more than 75 percent doubt the next generation will be better off. Some everyday financial pressures, such as higher financing costs for auto loans and mortgage closing costs, are not captured in major datasets like the Consumer Price Index. Political factors and lived experience are shaping economic perceptions beyond headline statistics.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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