BND: Strategy Room Bonus - Checking up on the American consumer

This video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on July 18, 2026. While the overall economy remains decent, there is a segment of the American consumer that is starting to show signs of stress. This video covers a series of articles that delve into consumers trends. Consumers are turning to buy now, pay later for essential expenses, they are cutting back on purchases at grocery stores due to the increasing costs, an increasing number of U.S. families are taking on debt and dipping into savings to meet food needs, credit card delinquencies are at the highest rate in 15 years, and housing affordability slipped for the fifth straight month. As the economic outlook weakens for the lower end of the consumer segment, this reality is coming to the doorstep of Republicans and President Trump.  This episode covered a series of articles from The Epoch Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC.