Inflation Dampens Household Purchasing Power Despite Brighter 2026 Outlook

Flat bank balances and slowing wage growth signal mounting pressure on consumers despite a more upbeat 2026 economic forecast.
Inflation Dampens Household Purchasing Power Despite Brighter 2026 Outlook
U.S. dollar bills in Washington on Nov. 13, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00
Real income growth for U.S. households remained unusually weak heading into the holiday season, even as economists upgraded their outlook for next year’s economic expansion, according to a new report from the JPMorganChase Institute.

Median real income growth for Americans aged 25 to 54 slowed to 1.6 percent in October, a pace comparable to the soft labor market recovery in the 2010s following the Great Recession, the Nov. 25 analysis shows.

Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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