Consumers are Broke But Sales are Booming

Debt Is the New Paycheck.💳📈For years, economists measured prosperity through income and savings. But what if growth today runs not on earnings but on borrowed time?Across markets, household savings have cratered, yet retail sales are surging. Consumers aren’t richer; they’re just more leveraged. Credit cards, BNPL apps, and digital loans now bridge the gap between flat wages and rising prices.In this week’s StayWired, we unpack how the global economy turned into a “credit economy”, where spending is up, savings are down, and temporary prosperity hides deep financial strain.