Brian Stewart

Um, because, you know, like in a situation where

say the main problem in the economy is a lack of jobs and the unemployment rate is going up and you see negatives for the monthly employment rate.

You either have a job or you don't.

So if you're affected by the bad economy, you lose your job, that's horrific, right?

But most people aren't going to be affected.

Even in a recession, most people are going to keep their jobs.

So you're sort of affected personally by seeing people around you

getting affected.

Whereas the higher prices kind of affects everybody a little bit all the time.

So I think in terms of consumer confidence, I think that might play a part in it.

It just feels like a slog day to day, which is why I think affordability has become sort of the watchword politically.

And then we have the midterms coming.

So your point about partisanship being

critical to the way people are metabolizing the economy.

I think that's true because I think that you're going to see that debate ratchet up.

You're going to see politicians telling consumers constantly over the next few months that affordability is a problem.

So I think that just sort of reinforces the feeling that consumers already have.

earnings keep rolling on.

So I think that'll be the watchword for next week.

So, you know, it's been a situation in the last, you know, through Trump's term so far is you kind of never know if there's something going to be like a Venezuela situation, a Greenland situation.