After months of gloom, Americans are finally starting to feel better about the economy and more resigned to inflation. Consumer sentiment, which hit rock bottom in June, has begun inching up in recent weeks. Gas prices are down. Decades-high inflation appears to be easing. And at the same time, Americans are making small changes — buying meat in bulk, for example, or shifting more of their shopping to discount chains — suggesting that many families are learning to deal with higher prices. “While consumer sentiment is still fairly low by historic standards, we’re starting to see pretty dramatic improvements,” said Joanne W. Hsu, an economist at the University of Michigan and director of its closely watched consumer surveys.
Baltimore brewery holds its first night market Saturday, celebrating Asian culture
Eddie O’Keefe wasn’t sure he wanted folks to know that Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore was an Asian American-owned-and-operated business. O’Keefe, whose mother is Korean, loves to support other Asian American-owned businesses in the area, but the vice president of the Charles Village brewery feared attracting attention to his business as hate crimes against Asian Americans spiked during the coronavirus pandemic. “It seems like things are turning the corner, and for all the hate that exists in the world, there’s thousands of people that want to know and experience and be a part of our culture,” O’Keefe said. “That’s cool.”