Folks, consumer pressure has been increasing for years... Between steadily rising inflation and a job market where wage growth is no longer keeping pace with prices, people are finding that they have to make do with less.

Consumers Will Find Ways to Spend Money in This Industry By John Evelius, junior analyst, Chaikin Analytics Folks, consumer pressure has been increasing for years... Between steadily rising inflation and a job market where wage growth is no longer keeping pace with prices, people are finding that they have to make do with less.  But a recent survey gives us fresh insight into the state of the American consumer today... This United States Automobile Association ("USAA") report found that 36% of credit-card customers now use rewards for everyday expenses. These could be anything from groceries to medicine to gas. On the other hand, 37% still hold on to their points for "dream redemptions." I'm talking about travel, experiences, or high-end electronics. Today, those two numbers are nearly identical. A year ago, far more consumers were holding on to points for bigger purchases... In data from more than 4 million cardholders, USAA found that reward redemption jumped 47% in 2025. This is a sign of how quickly using reward points has shifted from "saving for later" to "being part of the budget."  The main reason for this spike is the "Shop With Rewards" feature. This allows cardholders to use points in real time – without a complex redemption process. Put simply, people are no longer saving their points... Among all cardholders surveyed, about 75% said they cash out monthly or right away. Only 24% let their rewards build toward something bigger. Separately, USAA found that 45% of cardholders with credit scores between 300 and 660 use rewards specifically for daily needs. This is a higher share than the broader group. Technology is pushing this along too... In fact, Amazon and other retailers now let you pay with points at checkout. When that option is right there at the register, saving points starts to feel like leaving money on the table... Recommended Links: July 28: The Beginning of the End for AI Wall Street legend Marc Chaikin says a massive shift is coming – yesterday's AI winners could become tomorrow's losers. On Tuesday, July 28, he'll sit down with a special guest to reveal the exact steps you should take immediately to not only survive but thrive. Learn more here. How to Profit Off of Anthropic's Project Glasswing Anthropic's Project Glasswing gives a select group of companies early access to an advanced form of AI that has been deemed "too dangerous" for the public. With this in their arsenal, these companies could become the most powerful businesses in the world this year. See which stocks could emerge as the biggest winners and losers as this technology cleaves the market in half. Click here for the FREE names, tickers, and buy/sell recommendations. What the Data Is Really Saying When people need soap, they buy soap. When they need paper towels, they buy paper towels. When they need gas, they fill the tank. These are not decisions that get postponed because budgets are tight. They are purchases that folks will always find a way to make. That sometimes means carrying a higher credit-card balance. It sometimes means cashing in points instead of saving them. It also may mean doing both at once. The consumer is not breaking.  Resilient consumers are managing the gap between how much they make and how much they spend. This sometimes requires careful planning – with every dollar assigned a purpose before it is spent. Bank of America found that card spending per household rose 6.3% year over year in June, the strongest reading in more than four years. People are still spending money. Not because everything is fine... but because some things cannot wait.  And the Power Gauge shows us where some of that spending may be landing...   Credit-Card Points Are Flowing Into This Industry The Power Gauge tracks 75 industries, and a lot of them aren't doing great right now. But the household-products industry is starting to rebound after a middling few years. This industry is built on the things people cannot go without – dish soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, and even shampoo. These are not wants. They are the floor of every household budget. These are the purchases that survive every round of belt-tightening because there is no substitute and they cannot be postponed.  When credit-card points flow toward necessities, they flow here. Not only that, but the industry is also well ahead of the ETF we use to track the broad market: the State Street SPDR S&P 500 Fund (SPY). And since the start of 2026, the household-products industry has risen almost 20%. This is more than double the gain in the SPY, which saw 9% growth over the same time period. Currently, six of the 11 stocks in this industry carry a "bullish" rating from the Power Gauge. Only one is rated "bearish." When people are doing whatever it takes to afford necessities, the companies making those necessities tend to notice. The Power Gauge already has. Good investing, John Evelius Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral       Bearish Dow 30 -0.01% 10 13 8 S&P 500 -0.12% 137 272 89 NASDAQ -0.51% 22 61 22 Small Caps -0.93% 673 1031 342 Bonds -0.26%   Metals and Mining +1.87% 8 20 11 — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks and Large Cap stocks are Bullish. Major indexes are mixed. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Energy +4.78% Utilities +1.57% Staples +1.09% Real Estate +1.01% Health Care +0.72% Materials +0.63% Industrials -0.67% Information Technology -0.72% Financial -0.90% Discretionary -2.55% Communication -3.69% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Software & Services 21 77 35 Over the past 6 months, the Software & Services subsector (XSW) has underperformed the S&P 500 by 14.79%. Its Power Bar ratio which measures future potential is Weak, with more Bearish than Bullish stocks. It is currently ranked #19 of 21 subsectors and has moved down 2 slots over the past week. Indicative Stocks AI C3.ai, Inc. ALKT Alkami Technology, Inc. BMNR Bitmine Immersion Technologies, Inc. *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers SMCI +19.84% WAB +10.04% DELL +9.32% EQT +8.45% NRG +6.37% Losers GEV -8.69% NOW -6.47% PTC -6.34% WDAY -6.20% PLTR -6.10% *  *  *  * Earnings report Earnings Surprises CALM Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Q4 $-0.77 Missed by $-0.88 GOOG Alphabet Inc. Q2 $9.11 Beat by $6.20 GOOGL Alphabet Inc. Q2 $9.11 Beat by $6.20 KALU Kaiser Aluminum Corporation Q2 $5.53 Beat by $2.87 LUV Southwest Airlines Co. Q2 $0.94 Beat by $0.42 *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at reditudo@gmail.com. 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