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21 February
The biggest purchase in life now seems unaffordable — and that’s putting consumers in a sour mood
Woman looking worried while shopping in a grocery store.
The Consumer Price Index is trending lower, but consumers are increasingly gloomy about their finances. Photo: MarketWatch/iStockphoto

Looking at the U.S. economy, American consumers have a lot to be optimistic about. The inflation-measuring Consumer Price Index is trending lower and is only slightly above the Fed’s 2% target. The country’s unemployment rate is less than one percentage point above its recent 50-year low, and well below its historical average.

Yet consumers are downright gloomy about their finances nowadays, for one key reason: Most can’t afford to buy a home.