Consumer confidence just hit multi-year lows. Manufacturing sentiment is in contraction. People feel pessimistic about inflation, job security, and the direction of the country. And yet : Retail sales are strong. Industrial production ended 2025 with solid momentum. The unemployment rate fell  in January. Jobless claims remain historically low. Something doesn't add up... This gap between how people feel  about the economy and how they behave  in it has been widening for over