Another trip to the grocery store

[moniss]

7. Indeed and some of the reported

increase has been attributed to people trying to beat the price increases from tariffs. There is also a need to look at consumer spending in ways beyond total dollars and examine number of transactions for example. Rising prices for things, especially ones excluded from inflation data, can mask a pulling back somewhat because consumer spending is expressed in total dollars rather than rates of purchasing. As you point out this will express itself over the coming months.

The unemployment figures can also sometimes mask what is actually happening in the job market as we know. When things get bad they always say "Well we don't know how many people have just given up looking for employment" and they are correct in that statement but that number can be immense as time goes on.