Consumers

DEEP DIVE: US Economy Is Gen-Shaped, Not K-Shaped

This is an excerpt from our January 5, 2026 Morning Briefing. The US economy's resilience is attributable primarily to robust consumer spending despite widespread concerns that rising prices have squeezed the purchasing power of lower-income consumers. As a result, many economists have warned that the so-called “K-shaped” economy isn’t sustainable. How can the economy continue to grow if more households are confronting an “affordability crisis”? Surely, it