| Lower-income Americans just can't seem to catch a break. First the pandemic wrecked havoc on supply chains and sent inflation into a frenzy that has yet to wear off. Then the Federal Reserve jacked up interest rates to try to control price pressures, making it more expensive to take out a loan. Now President Donald Trump's tariffs — and retaliatory measures from other countries — threaten to push up prices of necessities like groceries and electricity even higher, just as the cost of living shows signs of resurging. While all Americans will have to contend with higher prices, they hit particularly hard for lower-income consumers, who tend to spend a greater share of their incomes on goods over services. (Click here for the full story.) Read More: Tariff Worry on Wall Street Pressures Trump to Speed Up Tax Cuts Americans in the bottom third of the income bracket view their current financial situation as among the worst in 14 years, and the gap between their outlook and that of the top third is near an all-time high, according to the University of Michigan. Walmart is worried about "stress behaviors" among budget-conscious shoppers, and the retailer has asked some Chinese suppliers, including producers of kitchenware and clothing, to lower their prices by as much as 10%. Target has warned that a 25% tariff on imported goods from Mexico — some of which have already gone into effect — will result in higher prices. "Undoubtedly you're going to have a larger impact on the lower-income consumer who's already been struggling with inflation and elevated interest rates to a larger degree," said Seth Basham, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. "This is going to set them back even further." Related Reading: —Molly Smith in New York Click here for more of Bloomberg.com's most-read stories about trade, supply chains and shipping. | 
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