At a glance
Retail sales fell 0.6 percent in July, the largest drop in a year, while credit card delinquencies approach 2008 crisis levels. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is being drawn down to dangerous levels, Trump's H-1B restrictions are pushing tech talent to India and China, and Germa
U.S. retail sales fell 0.6 percent in July, marking the largest drop in a year. Credit card delinquencies are approaching the levels seen in the 2008 financial crisis. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is being drawn down to dangerously low levels, and Trump's H-1B restrictions are pushing tech workers to India and China, signaling both talent flight and underlying labor market stress.
These aren't isolated numbers. A retail sales drop paired with rising delinquencies tells you consumers are tapped out—they're not buying, and they're falling behind on debt they've already taken. When you layer in a shrinking strategic reserve and tech talent leaving the country, you're looking at an economy losing cushion from multiple directions at once. The reserve drawdown is particularly stark: that's emergency inventory meant to buffer against disruptions, and it's being used to maintain current consumption rather than prepare for shocks.
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