New Delhi, May 22 -- The US consumer is no longer a single, monolithic story in 2026. Deloitte's latest "State of the US Consumer" snapshot for April-May shows that inflation expectations have reignited, yet overall spending remains surprisingly resilient, albeit with a clear split between households that can still spend freely and those feeling the squeeze. This bifurcation is quietly reshaping US corporate earnings and equity valuations, turning the US market into a more nuanced landscape of winners and losers. For Indian investors, this theme is valuable because it links macro headlines-like inflation and interest rates-to tangible, investable outcomes in the US equity market.

Two types of US consumers in 2026Recent surveys indicate t...