Inflation has changed the way many Americans shop. Now, those changes in consumer habits are helping bring down inflation.

Fed up with prices that remain about 19%, on average, above where they were before the pandemic, consumers are fighting back. In grocery stores, they’re shifting away from name brands to store-brand items, switching to discount stores or simply buying fewer items like snacks or gourmet foods.

After Stanley fans posted home lead test results on social media, the company confirmed the viral insulated tumblers do contain lead. Here’s what experts are saying.

Stanley, the makers of the tumblers that have become a viral sensation, have come under scrutiny this week. Social media users, specifically on TikTok and Instagram, have been sharing videos showing at-home lead test findings, and the results are worrying faithful Stanley sippers.

In the last couple months, Americans' sour sentiment has grown a lot sunnier.

Why it matters: Since the pandemic, U.S. consumers have consistently reported depressed economic sentiment, despite that fact that America's economy has staged a better recovery from COVID than the rest of the world's rich nations have.

State of play: Starting two months ago, America's mood started heading back up.

A University of Michigan index that tracks consumer sentiment has surged more than 28% since November.

Americans are rapidly becoming much more upbeat about the economy.

Consumer sentiment leapt 13% in the first half of January from December, the University of Michigan said Friday. That came on the heels of a sharp rise in December, causing the index to surge a combined 29% from November, the biggest two-month increase since 1991. The pickup in sentiment was broad-based, spanning consumers of different age, income, education and geography.

Consumer sentiment jumped in January and expectations for inflation fell, a sign that consumers are feeling more comfortable with the economy.

The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index soared to 78.8 in January, well above forecast expectations of 70. That is a 21.4% change from this time last year. Sentiment is also at the highest level since July 2021, before the U.S. began grappling with too-high inflation.

U.S. consumer confidence increased to a five-month high in December, with Americans growing more optimistic about current and future business conditions as well as the labor market, which could help to underpin the economy early next year.

The jump in confidence reported by the Conference Board on Wednesday occurred across all age groups and household income levels. Though consumers continued to worry about inflation, many were planning to buy motor vehicles, houses and major appliances like refrigerators and clothes dryers over the next six months.

Black Friday is coming up quickly — and many companies already have released their deals and steals well ahead of the big shopping day right after Thanksgiving.

Among other findings, a new WalletHub report noted that 28% of American consumers are planning to spend less this 2023 holiday season compared to their spending last year. 

The study also found that 35% of items will offer no savings compared to their pre-Black Friday prices.

Amazon.com used an algorithm code-named “Project Nessie” to test how much it could raise prices in a way that competitors would follow, according to redacted portions of the Federal Trade Commission’s monopoly lawsuit against the company.

That Pumpkin Spice Latte is going to cost you a pretty penny this fall.

If you are a connoisseur of fancy coffee and fancy coffee shops (or even just fancy-ish), you’ve probably noticed that the price of your favorite drink is higher than it used to be. Nowadays, the base price for a regular latte is something like $6, then maybe you add in vanilla syrup, which costs you an extra dollar, and ask for oat milk, which is a dollar more. You’re now staring at an $8 drink, plus taxes and, assuming you’re doing the right thing here, at least a $1 tip.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should be seen as a wild success. Over its 12 years of existence, it has been responsible for returning more than $17 billion to Americans separated from their money by financial sector shenanigans.

Instead of being able to celebrate that achievement, the agency is in a fight for its life — and if it loses, we’ll all be poorer for it.