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$BTC U.S. CONSUMER IS CRACKING: Retail Spending Hits 8-Month Low 🚨
• Core retail spending fell −0.1% in December, weakest reading in 8 months.
• Biggest declines: clothing, furniture, electronics, auto dealers.
• Small gains only in building materials & sporting goods.
• Lower-income households hardest hit as essentials eat more of budgets.
• Wage growth slowed to ~0.7% in Q4 — weakest since 2021.
⚠️ Implication: Retail spending feeds GDP. Slowing demand = cooling economy. Early signal of broader slowdown markets may not have priced in yet.
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