U.S. Economy

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Tumbles as ‘Recession-like’ Symptoms Spread among Americans

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. dropped to an eight-month low in July, according to the Consumer Sentiment Index from the University of Michigan.

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. dropped to an eight-month low in July, according to the Consumer Sentiment Index from the University of Michigan.

While the U.S. technically isn’t in a recession, a survey by Affirm found that roughly 3 out of 5 Americans believe it is. In a 2024 poll, Gallup found that one-third of Americans mentioned economic issues as the nation’s most important problem.

The Biden administration has presided over the highest inflation in 40 years, hitting a four-decade peak of 9.1% in June 2022. While declining since then, stubborn inflation has eaten into American consumers’ purchasing power.

In May 2024, the Heritage Foundation estimated that the average, inflation-adjusted, weekly paycheck shrunk by about 4.4%, or $50, during President Joe Biden’s term. That’s despite the fact that wages have risen faster under Biden than under former President Donald Trump’s administration, according to calculation by Bankrate.

Investing Ideas

There’s “Something” to Buy Before It Soars by More Than 84,000 Percent, According to Michael Saylor

Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman at MicroStrategy (MSTR), thinks a single Bitcoin (BTC) could be worth as much as $49 million by 2045, implying 84,380% upside from its current price.

U.S. Economy

Weekly Mortgage Demand Stalls, Even Though Rates Drop to Lowest since April 2023

U.S. mortgage rates fell last week for the fourth straight week, but neither current homeowners nor homebuyers seemed particularly impressed.

International

Eurozone Negotiated Wage Growth Slowed to 3.6% in 2Q, ECB Says

Eurozone negotiated wage growth slowed to 3.6% in 2Q, ECB says The Eurozone's negotiated wage growth decelerated to 3.6% in Q2 2024, according to data released by the European Central Bank (ECB).