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Lululemon stock slides in premarket on soft quarterly and annual guidance




Lululemon stock slides in premarket on soft quarterly and annual guidance

Pending Home Sales Eke Out a Beat Thanks to Lowest Mortgage Rates Since 2022


Well, the housing market appeared to be warming up in February, but it might prove to be temporary.

The National Association of Realtors reported that pending home sales unexpectedly rose 1.8% month-over-month versus a median forecast of -1%.

So aside from not being negative MoM, they also beat expectations, which is clearly a positive.

However, they were still down 0.8% year-over-year and the outlook isn’t great given mortgage rates hit 3.5-year lows in February.

Because as we all know, mortgage rates are a lot higher today than they were just a few weeks ago.

Pending Sales Went Positive in February, But It Might Not Last

Pending home sales are a forward-looking indicator as they represent signed contracts to purchase a home.

That means a pending home sale from February will likely close in March or April because it takes anywhere from 30-45 days to get a mortgage, if not longer.

So we’ll see a bump in existing home sales once these get to the finish line, assuming they all do.

But it doesn’t appear to be the big jump many were expecting this year, including NAR that projected a double-digit increase in home sales compared to 2025.

Given we were only able to muster a sub-2% increase in pending sales during a month in which mortgage rates hit 3.5-year lows tells you everything you need to know.

It’s not exactly a blockbuster number, despite beating the very low bar set by economists for the month.

Nor does it paint a particularly bright picture for the start of the spring home buying season.

Assuming mortgage rates stay elevated from now through at least summer, you can’t foresee sales getting much better.

The Mortgage Rate Spike Will Absolutely Slow Down Home Sales

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which began at the very end of February, has led to a big spike in oil prices.

The knock-on effect has been markedly higher mortgage rates, as higher oil prices leads to inflation, whether it’s elevated gas prices or higher input costs for the production and transportation of goods.

This led to a big jump in 10-year bond yields, which had been sub-4% prior to the conflict and looking to drop even more.

That was the reason the 30-year fixed mortgage was the lowest it had been since late summer 2022.

And given mortgage rates were still near all-time lows in early 2022, it was a pretty good place to be, especially in early spring.

Now the picture has changed tremendously, with mortgage rates rising from sub-6% levels to nearly 6.50% by some measures.

We have seen a slight reprieve this week, but it wouldn’t shock me to see mortgage rates move higher before they come down meaningfully.

In other words, there might be short windows to lock in a cheaper mortgage rate, but rates will remain significantly higher than levels seen at the end of February and early March.

The other issue is that the conflict has led to a stock market rout.

So you’ve got prospective home buyers grappling with higher mortgage rates while also looking at a depleted stock portfolio and simultaneously paying more at the pump.

The cumulative effect is consumer confidence will be lower, and as such fewer people will move forward with a home purchase.

That means 2026 could be yet another rough year for the housing market despite looking so bright just weeks ago.

Read on: 2026 Mortgage Rate Forecast

Colin Robertson
Latest posts by Colin Robertson (see all)

Issue With Product Changed Citi Strata Elite Splurge Credits [Credits Posting]


Update 3/17/26: Looks like these are starting to post for some cardholders that are affected. Not sure if everybody should see a credit yet or if they are doing them in batches?

One of the benefits of the Citi Strata Elite is up to $200 in splurge credits on your choice of up to two of the following merchants:  1stDibs, American Airlines (exclusions apply), Best Buy, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation (exclusions apply). 

Unfortunately it seems that cardholders that product changed from another card to Citi Strata Elite aren’t getting these credits to post automatically and Citi reps are telling them to just to wait 1-2 billing cycles (1,2). Even after waiting the credits still aren’t appearing, so one reader filed a CFPB complaint and then followed up with the Citi executive response team that states it’s a known issue with an incomplete merchant ID. 

That doesn’t really make sense, as if it was an issue with the vendor ID then all cardholders would be affected rather than cardholders that PC’d. 

We reached out to Citi for comment and they provided the following response:

We recently identified this issue and urgently took steps to deliver the benefits and prevent impacts to any additional customers,” said a Citi spokesperson.

One of my favorite things about this blog (apart from speculating on rumors) is being able to (hopefully) help get errors and issues like this one fixed. Hopefully the credits start trickling in for affect users soon. Thanks to the reader who first reached out with a wealth of information and datapoints regarding this issue. 

Forget Tech Stocks and Buy This Energy Stock That’s Fueling the AI Boom


If you want upside from the AI boom but don’t want direct exposure to tech stocks, energy looks like the next best option.

But not all opportunities are created equal. Constellation Energy (CEG +0.69%) has become Wall Street’s favorite AI power story, riding a narrative that nuclear energy will fuel the next wave of data center growth. But the fundamentals tell a more complicated story.

CEG is priced for a future that hasn’t arrived yet. The stock trades at 41x trailing earnings on a ~$109 billion market cap, while full-year net income fell 38% year-over-year to $2.3 billion.

While the company did have a Q4 revenue beat, it was a 13% increase from the prior year quarter. Decent growth, but not worth a 41x multiple on its’ own. Meanwhile, the stock is already down 18% year-to-date from its January peak. It’s simply a crowded trade losing altitude before the fundamentals have caught up to the hype.

Today’s Change

(0.69%) $2.11

Current Price

$307.69

Devon Energy (DVN +1.65%) on the other hand, presents a contrasting set of fundamentals that analysts are beginning to examine more closely, and almost nobody in the mainstream financial press is talking about it.

The Real AI Power Connection

Hyperscale data centers powering AI workloads consume enormous amounts of electricity, and natural gas is the dominant fuel source for new power generation in the United States. Devon isn’t just a passive beneficiary of this trend. The company has signed a 7-year gas supply agreement to deliver 65 MMcf per day to a proposed 1,350 MW power plant tied directly to AI-driven electricity demand, effective 2028.

It also locked in a 10-year LNG export contract for 50 MMcf per day, also effective 2028. These are contracted cash flows, not power purchase agreements built on hopes that nuclear plants restart on schedule.

Oil drills in the sunset

Image source: Getty Images

The merger creates a structural catalyst

Devon announced an all-stock merger with Coterra Energy (CTRA +1.92%) on February 2, 2026, expected to close in Q2 2026. Devon shareholders will retain approximately 54% of the combined entity, with $1 billion in targeted annual pre-tax synergies. When the deal closes, the quarterly dividend increases 31% to $0.315 per share, and a new share repurchase authorization exceeding $5 billion kicks in. CEG investors, by contrast, are waiting on a guidance call and a promised 10% dividend increase on a quarterly payout of $0.4265. Devon’s shareholder return events are concrete and imminent. CEG’s are still on the calendar.

Coterra Energy Stock Quote

Today’s Change

(1.92%) $0.62

Current Price

$32.99

The free cash flow story is already written

Devon generated $3.1 billion in free cash flow in 2025, up dramatically year-over-year, against a market cap of roughly $28.7 billion.

Compare that to CEG’s $109 billion market cap on $2.3 billion in net income that fell 38% and it’s clear which is the better play.

Devon also cut capital expenditures to $3.6 billion in 2025 while growing oil production to 390,000 barrels per day in Q4, exceeding the top end of its own guidance.

Devon Energy Stock Quote

Today’s Change

(1.65%) $0.77

Current Price

$47.42

Devon trades at 11x trailing earnings. Constellation trades at 40x. Both are energy companies fueling the AI buildout. Only one is priced like it.

Devon Energy and Coterra Energy are scheduled to complete their merger in Q2 2026. Analysts will be watching whether the combined entity’s valuation reflects the contracted cash flows and synergy targets outlined by management.

මුදල් ආයෝජනය ගැන හැමදේම සරලව | Investing 101 for beginners



✍️ Content: Personal Finance | Startups | Business | Investing | Productivity | Sri Lanka

WHO am I? 🤔

If we haven’t met before, Hello,👋 I’m Dr. Prabuddha Don, a molecular scientist working with the Queensland Government in Australia. In addition to my official duties, I also serve as a part-time research scientist, content creator, and lecturer with a passion for sharing knowledge. I’m currently studying Business Management, Personal Finance, and Global Economics. Through my videos, I share the lessons and insights I’ve gained on this journey to help you create a life you love, focusing on topics Personal Finance, Productivity, and Education.

If you’re interested in this type of content, I’d be delighted to have you join me on this journey.
Best
Don

Chapters
0:00 Intro
5:13 Investment account
7:39 Gold
10:30 Stock market
15:20 Land
24:11 Part-time business
25:18 Important
27:12 Outro

source

Best Order of Operations For Saving For Retirement


Looking to start saving and investing? What account or order of accounts should you use first? Your 401k? IRA? HSA?

I’m a big fan of methods and orders of operations for doing things. I think that it is essential to have a set plan for executing tasks, especially long term tasks like saving for retirement. But what’s the best way to go about funding retirement? What is the proper order to save?

Remember back in elementary school the order of operations for math – “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”?  I always found that useful – parenthesis, exponents, multiplication/division, addition/subtraction.  

Its rules and order that make things easy to remember, just like PEMDAS from elementary school.

So, what is the best order of operations for saving for retirement? Let me break it down for you, and show you the exact strategy I’m using as well.

Table of Contents

The Order Of Operations For Saving
Step 1 – Save in Your 401k (Up To The Match)
Step 2 – Save The Max In Your IRA
Step 3 – Continue To Max Your 401k Contributions
Step 4 – Max Your HSA
Step 5 – Side Hustle And Do A SEP IRA
Step 6 – Save in a Standard Brokerage Account
Step 7 – Be Smart About Social Security
Conclusion

The Order Of Operations For Saving

Let’s start with a chart breaking down the best order of operations for saving for retirement.

Best Order Of Operations To Save For Retirement Infographic | Source: The College Investor

Step 1 – Save in Your 401k (Up To The Match)

The first step in saving for retirement is to take advantage of your for 401k or 403b, up to your employer match. These are great plans that every eligible person needs to participate in, and when your employer matches your contributions, it’s free money! Funding your retirement in a 401k is a great way to save because it gives you a tax savings when you contribute, your investments grow tax deferred, and in many places, your company matches your contribution up to a certain percentage.

If your company matches your contribution, and you don’t contribute, you’re leaving free money on the table, which is crazy! It’s essentially giving up a percentage of your pay!

Plus, saving for retirement in a 401k is easy. All you have to do is sign up. Check out more of the best 401k moves you can make as well.

Step 2 – Save The Max In Your IRA

If you’ve invested in your 401k to at least to get your company match, it’s time to start looking for what comes next for funding retirement savings.  The next step in the order of operations for funding retirement is your IRA.  There are a lot of resources out there to help you decide if a Roth IRA or Traditional IRA is better, but regardless of which you choose, investing in an IRA is a great way to save for retirement after you’ve maxed your 401k.

There are a lot of IRA misconceptions, but you should know the following – you can invest up to $7,500 per year (in 2026), and if you’re older than 50, you get a catch-up contribution of $1,000 extra.  All of the money in your IRA grows tax free.  Depending on the type of IRA, you may not even have to pay taxes on your withdraws (that’s a Roth IRA for you).  All of these features make investing in an IRA Step 2 in the Order of Operations for Funding Retirement.

Make sure you check out the IRA Contribution And Income Limits here.

Check the best places to open an IRA here.

2026 IRA Contribution Limits | Source: The College Investor

Step 3 – Continue To Max Your 401k Contributions

If you’ve already maxed out your IRA contributions, it’s time to look at maxing you your 401k contributions. Remember to check out our guide on how to maximize your retirement contributions. In 2026, you can contribute $24,500 into your 401k pre-tax, and you can have a total contribution to your 401k (employee + employer contributions) of $72,000.

If your employer allows after-tax, non-Roth contributions, and you can afford it, you might consider maxing this out so that you can potentially take advantage of the Mega Backdoor Roth IRA.

Make sure you understand the 401k Contribution Limits here.

2026 401k Contribution Limits | Source: The College Investor

Step 4 – Max Your HSA

If you are in a high-deductible health plan, and you are eligible for a health savings account (HSA), you’d better be taking advantage of it to the max. I consider the HSA to be the secret IRA nobody is talking about, because it offers triple-tax benefits, and is simply an awesome way to save.

Plus, many employers offer matching contributions into an HSA, and many times the health insurance attached to the HSA is cheaper than other options offered.

The only reason that the HSA is #4 on this list is because many people simply don’t qualify for it. However, if you do qualify for it, I’d move it to #2 – right behind taking advantage of your employer’s match.

Make sure you check out the HSA contribution limits here.

2026 HSA Contribution Limits | Source: The College Investor

Step 5 – Side Hustle And Do A SEP IRA

If you’re a side hustler, or have any type of freelance income, you should consider doing a SEP IRA. This is another way to save pre-tax money in a retirement account, and lower your total tax bill from your side hustling income activities.

With a SEP IRA, you can contribute 25% of your earnings, or $72,000, whichever is lower. 

Note: You can substitute a Solo 401k here if you are good about balancing contribution limits with an employer plan. A SEP IRA is usually easier for side hustlers with a 401k they max at their day job.

Step 6 – Save in a Standard Brokerage Account

After you’ve invested in both your IRA and 401k, you may not know what to do next.  The best thing you can do after maxing out all the “traditional” retirement accounts is to just invest in a standard brokerage.  This type of account has no special tax breaks for saving for retirement, but it comes in as Step 5 in our order of operations for funding retirement because it is important to invest versus just saving.

The key is to protect against inflation from eating your returns as you fund your retirement.  If you just save the remainder in a savings account, you don’t grow your money or keep up with inflation.  While saving is important, it is more important to grow your money over the long run by investing.

Check out our list of the best brokerage accounts here.

Step 7 – Be Smart About Social Security

Step 7 in the Order of Operations for Saving For Retirement is Social Security.  As I’ve mentioned before, Social Security isn’t going anywhere, even for young workers.   However, one thing that young workers should plan for is that the benefits will be less, and the retirement age will be much higher.  I wouldn’t be surprised if today’s college graduates have a Social Security retirement age of 70 or even 75 before they can take benefits.  The reason is that people are just living longer.

As such, you have to be smart about your Social Security benefits, even at a young age.  The reason is that there are many factors that may, or may not, allow you to get benefits.

For example, if you work for a State or Local government, your organization may choose to opt-out of Social Security in lieu of their own retirement program.  This could be beneficial to you (as the program may be better) or it could be worse.  The bottom line is that you need to be smart about it and know what benefits you’ll be eligible for.

Conclusion

So, if you follow this plan to maximize your pre-tax retirement savings, you’ll be following the best order for funding retirement.  If you don’t have an option available to you (i.e. your employer doesn’t offer a 401k), then just skip to the next step in the order of operations, just like PEMDAS above.

What’s your thought on the right order of operations for funding retirement?

Editor: Clint Proctor

Reviewed by: Chris Muller

The post Best Order of Operations For Saving For Retirement appeared first on The College Investor.

Tencent Music now has 20M+ ‘Super VIP’ subscribers. Here’s what that means for China’s largest music streamer.


MBW Explains is a series in which we dig behind the headlines, via data and context, to improve your understanding of key stories. Only MBW+ subscribers have unlimited access to these articles. MBW Explains is supported by Reservoir.


Higher-priced ‘super premium’ music streaming tiers remain one of the biggest revenue opportunities in the music industry.

UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge said in his 2026 new year memo that UMG will work with DSP partners on “enhanced premium tiers for superfans,” and on UMG’s Q4 earnings call earlier this month referenced “premium tiers being developed by the traditional DSPs” as part of a broader superfan ecosystem.

Spotify experimented with Premium price segmentation last November when it launched a higher-priced ‘Premium Platinum’ tier in five emerging streaming economies – but the industry continues to watch for the arrival of a fully-fledged super premium offering in western markets.

Over in China, the concept has already proven successful, and is scaling fast

Tencent Music Entertainment‘s (TME) ‘Super VIP’ tier has just hit a major new milestone.

TME published its Q4 and full-year 2025 results today (March 17), revealing that its SVIP subscribers surpassed 20 million by year-end – up from the 15 million the company reported at the end of Q2, and just 10 million in Q3 2024.

That growth trajectory – doubling in barely over a year – tells us something important about the appetite for higher-priced music streaming, and offers a real-world blueprint for what higher-priced streaming tiers could deliver.

Here’s what the numbers show…


1. SVIP penetration is accelerating – even as the wider user base shrinks

TME’s SVIP tier now represents approximately 15.7% of the company’s 127.4 million total paying music subscribers.



That’s up from around 12% at the end of Q2 2025, and just 8% as recently as September 2024.

What makes this particularly striking is the context in which it’s happening.

TME’s total music monthly active users (MAUs) actually fell 5.0% YoY to 528 million in Q4 – a continuation of a long-running decline from a peak of over 650 million.

The broader user base is contracting. But the paying user base isn’t.

TME’s total number of paying music users grew 5.3% YoY to 127.4 million in Q4, while monthly ARPPU (average revenue from each paying user) climbed 7.2% YoY to RMB 11.9 (around USD $1.70).

In other words: TME is losing casual listeners but converting and monetising the ones who stay at an ever-higher rate.

SVIP is a key engine behind that monetization story.

TME’s SVIP subscribers pay approximately RMB 40 (USD $5.72) per month, compared to the standard RMB 8 (USD $1.14) subscription – roughly five times the revenue per user.

When you consider that these 20 million subscribers represent less than 16% of TME’s paying base but are generating five times the ARPU, the economic weight of the tier becomes clear.

2. What’s driving SVIP adoption?

TME attributed the SVIP milestone to “deepened collaborations with music labels, artists and the rollout of new, high-valued benefits.”

According to TME, premium sound quality – including Dolby Atmos support and advanced audio technologies – remains a key SVIP draw. That should be noted by anyone tracking the Spotify lossless/super-premium debate: in the one major market where HD audio is gated behind a higher-priced tier, it’s working.

But audio quality is only part of the picture. In Q4, TME appointed brand ambassadors for its SVIP program – including Ryan Ding, Ju Jingyi, and Karry Wang for QQ Music, and Liu Yuning for Kugou Music (pictured below) – and launched prioritized ticketing packages for flagship events including QQ Music’s Top Music Night 2026 and the annual gala of Melody Journey 2. Both, the company said, resulted in “effective SVIP adoption.”



Other SVIP benefits such as premium audio effects, personalized avatar outfits and feature-related perks also contributed to acquisition and retention, TME said.

The company has also leaned heavily into what it calls “artist-centric privileges” more broadly: exclusive and timed-exclusive digital album releases, priority access to concert tickets for in-demand shows, and collectible ‘star card’ series tied to popular artists.

TME CEO Ross Liang framed the milestone in the context of a broader strategic shift: “Driven by differentiated, expansive content privileges and immersive experiences, our SVIP user base surpassed 20 million, with ARPPU continuing to trend upward. Our newly launched ad-supported subscription plan is gaining initial progress and will, over time, allow us to broaden user access and attract new audiences.”

That last point is notable: TME is now operating a three-tier model – ad-supported, standard, and SVIP – similar to what Spotify is piloting with its Lite/Standard/Platinum structure in India and elsewhere.


3. The subscription revenue picture

TME’s music subscription revenues reached RMB 4.56 billion (USD $653 million) in Q4, representing 13.2% YoY growth. That was a deceleration from the 17.2% posted in Q3 and 17.1% in Q2 – though still robust.

For the full year, music subscription revenue hit RMB 17.66 billion (USD $2.53 billion), up 16.0% YoY from RMB 15.23 billion in 2024.



Total online music services revenue (which includes advertising, artist-related merchandise, and offline performances alongside subscriptions) grew 21.7% YoY to RMB 7.10 billion (USD $1.02 billion) in Q4. Music subscriptions accounted for around 64% of that total; the remainder was driven by what the company described as “robust” growth in offline performances and concert-related revenue.

For the full year, online music services revenue reached RMB 26.73 billion (USD $3.82 billion), up 22.9% YoY – making it the dominant driver of TME’s overall business. Music operations now account for 82% of total company revenues, up from around 77% a year ago, as the firm’s legacy ‘social entertainment’ division (karaoke and live-streaming tipping) continues to decline.


Note: RMB to USD conversion for Q4/FY 2025 carried out at the exchange rate as of December 31, 2025, as provided by TME.


Reservoir (Nasdaq: RSVR) is a publicly traded, global independent music company with operations across music publishing, recorded music, and artist management. Music Business Worldwide

Bank of Canada likely to stay on hold as oil scrambles the outlook




The Bank of Canada is likely to hold interest rates steady as policymakers weigh the inflation risk of higher oil prices against a string of weak economic numbers.

Robinhood Lists Venture Fund For Retail Investors


Investing in private securities has become very popular. To meet this demand, Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) has listed its first publicly traded venture capital fund that invests solely in private companies.

Typically, promising private firms first raise capital from individual investors and venture capital firms. Starting at a Seed round, if the company continues to execute on its stated mission, funding can continue through multiple rounds. Eventually, a company may decide to list its shares on an exchange and become a public firm, but today, due to excessive regulation and cost, firms typically strive to remain private for as long as possible.

Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI) started trading this week and currently holds a market capitalization of $312 million.

RVI aims to invest in a concentrated portfolio of 10 or more private companies deemed “best-in-class” growing companies at the frontiers of their respective industries. RVI may use leverage to boost returns.

Some of the sectors considered include Fintech, artificial intelligence (AI), Defense/Aerospace, Tech, and more.

RVI does not anticipate distributing regular dividends but expects to distribute any capital gains earned by the fund to shareholders. Shareholders can expect to receive a 1099 at the end of each year.

While a growing number of platforms provide access to individual investments in private firms, some investors may find a diversified, managed portfolio more suitable. Each individual investor must do their own due diligence to determine the risk they are willing to shoulder.

 

 

 

Have a crowdfunding offering you’d like to share? Submit an offering for consideration using our Submit a Tip form and we may share it on our site!



McDonald’s newest $3 value menu is sounding an alarm about America’s K-shaped economy



McDonald’s is rolling out its cheapest value menu in years, a move that could speak more to the state of the American economy than it does fast food.

Even as sales rose for the quarter, executives at the world’s largest burger chain acknowledged in its February earnings call the fast food environment, which has pulled back in recent quarters, would “remain challenging” in 2026. Despite the company’s own progress attracting lower-income customer in the company’s fourth quarter, this tier of consumers, who have been dealing with stubborn inflation for years, are broadly pulling back on spending.

To address this issue, CEO Chris Kempczinski said during the company’s latest earnings call the restaurant chain would double down on its commitment to value and deeper discounts.

“McDonald’s is not going to get beat on value and affordability,” Kempczinski said during the call last month.

As part of the company’s latest effort to reach these consumers, McDonald’s is reportedly launching a new value menu in April with items like a 4-piece Chicken McNuggets or Sausage Biscuit priced at $3 or less. It is also revealing a $4 breakfast bundle that includes a McMuffin, hash brown, and a coffee, among other options, The Wall Street Journal reported. The new $3 menu will replace the McValue platform it launched in January 2025 that offered customers the choice of adding a second item to their full-priced order for just $1 more. 

McDonald’s did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

McDonald’s move to value meals matches the K-shaped economy

McDonald’s newest value menu fits squarely into the trend of the K-shaped economy. While high-income people have fared well during the multi-year-stock bull run of the past few years, lower-income people have been hit by higher prices and stagnating wages. The same is happening at McDonald’s, according to Kempczinski. While high-income customer traffic is stable, the CEO warned, “lower-income consumers are particularly sensitive to value and affordability.”

McDonald’s is not the only restaurant chain looking to target these lower-income customers: Wendy’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell have all rolled out aggressive value promotions over the past year, to reach a shrinking pool of budget-conscious diners who have grown increasingly selective. 

To win over these picky consumers, Mark Wasilefsky, head of restaurant and franchise finance at TD Bank, told Fortune chains are increasingly looking for a way to provide value to consumers.

“Lower-priced options, when chosen carefully, priced at an acceptable level, and marketed aggressively, create perceived value and can generate a long-term customer,” he said.

McDonald’s value meals signal a bigger economic problem 

While Kempczinski last month touted the company’s affordability moves as part of the company getting back to its roots, some worry the new $3 menu could be indicative of broader economic problems to come.

A post by prediction market Kalshi mentioning the $3 menu racked up more than 4 million views on X, with many users jumping on the news to declare an economic downturn is near. One user who quoted the Kalshi post on X got 2.6 million views for the declaration: “Oh it’s a RECESSION recession.”

McDonald’s is betting a $3 meal will bring lower-income customers back, and yet, that may be difficult when Americans are increasingly betting that the future could hold more economic pain.

A Pew Research survey last month found 72% of people rate economic conditions as fair or poor, and nearly 40% believe conditions will be worse a year from now, compared to 31% who think they will improve. 

This pressure, Wasilefsky argues, has made value perception that much more important for chains seeking lower-income consumers, or at least those with the financial flexibility to slash prices without gutting margins.

“For those brands who can afford to do so, this is an excellent time to convince existing customers and new customers of your brand’s value and its right to have a share of your shrinking wallet,” he said.