Consumers are unhappy with the United States economy, and it makes sense. Consumers in the United States survive on soaring credit card debt, while inflation, the hidden tax, weakening labor, and real disposable income figures prove that the economy is far from strong.

The renewed slump in University of Michigan consumer sentiment proves that the recent bounce was short-lived, and the index continues to be well below the 2019 level. Citizens are suffering the consequences of inflationist policies.

The latest reading indicates that consumer confidence fell to a six-month low of 67.4, while expectations dropped to the worst point in half a year. It was not only a decline in expectations but also a reduction in the current conditions index to a new low of 68.8.

Persistent inflation is not a coincidence. It is a policy.

The money supply (M2) has bounced to March 2023 levels and has been rising almost every month since October last year. Furthermore, US government deficit spending has more than offset the decline in the Federal Reserve balance sheet. While the Fed’s balance sheet has shrunk by $1.5 trillion from its peak, the US government deficit remains above $1.5 trillion per year.

The money supply (M2) in the United States has bounced above March 2023 levels, while deficit spending offsets any Fed balance sheet reduction.

The Fed’s preferred inflation measure rose 2.8% in March from a year ago. This is the core personal consumption expenditures price index, excluding food and energy, which should be less volatile than the consumer price index and a better indicator of the real process of disinflation.

This figure is not only concerning, considering the propaganda that repeats that the fight against inflation is nearing its conclusion, but it becomes even more so when we observe the upward trend over the last three and six months. Inflation has accelerated on a quarterly and half-year basis.

Weaker Growth and Higher Inflation. Why Consensus Was Wrong.

The weak GDP figure for the first quarter came with a double negative. Poor consumer spending and exports, plus a rise in core inflation, The US administration’s enormous fiscal stimulus, underscores the importance of considering the weaker-than-expected data.

A deceleration in consumer spending, a decline in the personal savings ratio to 3.6%, and poor exports added to a set of figures for investment that were also negative when we looked at the details.