Keeping Up With The Joneses

Check out the accompanying pdf and chart collection. Executive Summary: Q2 GDP revisions may well show that the US economy was not in a recession during H1 after all. If so, we have the consumer to thank. Consumer spending has held up well this year despite depressed sentiment and inflation-eroded purchasing power. But purchasing power soon should get a shot in the arm as wage inflation starts outpacing price inflation. … Also: A look at how much the average US household spends and on what. … News flash: “The Joneses” have been spending as though they’ve never been better off—because they haven’t! Inflation-adjusted consumption per household has been running at a record high.