The Consumer Sentiment Paradox Markets Are Misreading

Consumer sentiment hit a record low in May 2026, yet the S&P 500 is trading above 7,500 and small caps are surging. Lucas and Luna unpack the disconnect between how Americans feel and what the data says. They dig into the breakdown: sentiment is cratering because of inflation from the Iran war, but spending holds up because the job market hasn't cracked yet. They walk through the actual numbers — CPI at 332.4, jobless claims at 209,000 — and what they mean for the Fed. Plus, a look at why real GDP growth of 2 percent feels like a ceiling, not a floor. If the economy is so strong, why does everyone feel so bad? This episode bridges the gap between the macro headlines and the lived reality that markets are starting to price in. #ConsumerSentiment #Inflation #IranWar #FedPolicy #InterestRates #StockMarket #SmallCaps #JobMarket #RealGDP #CPI #JOLTS #Unemployment #MacroEconomics #Markets #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EconomyPodcast #LucasAndLuna Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo