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US consumers keep spending through higher prices, but for how long?

Harvard's endowment has grown to sixty-eight billion dollars even as federal cuts force layoffs, and shoppers keep spending through higher prices; the school wants corporate sponsors.

On air: Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on BBN Newsroom
Published 1:47 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: A supermarket — Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

First reported by AP News: “US consumers are muscling through higher prices, but for how long?”
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 1:47 PM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock.
Topics: US.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

AP NewsUS consumers are muscling through higher prices, but for how long?

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAmerican shoppers are still spending through higher prices, according to the Associated Press, but the question is how long a paycheck can keep doing that.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorI love the word muscling. It makes your grocery run sound like a gym session, and I'd say the carts are getting a great workout.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe workout is a nine-dollar carton of eggs and a coffee that costs what a lunch used to.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorResilience, Hank.