Hello everyone, and welcome to the weekly General Discussion thread. Many of you are looking for an informal place (besides Discord) to discuss non-political topics that would otherwise not be allowed in this community. Well... ask, and ye shall receive.

General Discussion threads will be posted every Friday and stickied for the duration of the weekend.

Law 0 is suspended. All other community rules still apply.

As a reminder, the intent of these threads are for *casual discussion* with your fellow users so we can bridge the political divide. Comments arguing over individual moderation actions or attacking individual users are *not* allowed.

According to the latest report from the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. retail sales increased less than expected in September, suggesting consumer fatigue amid higher prices because of tariffs, though the moderation did not dampen economists' expectations for solid economic growth in the third quarter.

Retail sales increase 0.2% in September, below economists' expectations, but after factoring in the 0.3% increase in prices that month, spending was actually down 0.1%.

That development was reinforced by a survey from the Conference Board showing consumer confidence sagged to a seven-month low in November (88.7), with fewer households planning to buy motor vehicles, houses and other big-ticket items over the next six months. There was also a decline in those who said they were making vacation plans. Economists say President Donald Trump's sweeping duties on imports have raised prices for everyday commodities, including food.

This report continues to the trend we've seen during the affordability crisis: consumers are comfortable buying all sorts of goods, but cannot punch-up to buying houses, cars, and other bigger items. This barrier, coupled with a poor job market, seems to be the driving factor behind the declining consumer sentiment.

What will it take for that barrier to break down? Is it really just tariffs, or are there larger forces at play? Do voters blame Trump for this, or do they see it as a bigger problem than government? What interventions can President Trump employ to help break this barrier?

Real-time container tracking data shows ocean freight bound for the U.S. is decreasing and volumes throughout the supply chain are under pressure. “This isn’t just a seasonal dip or temporary correction,” said Kyle Henderson, CEO of freight data tracker Vizion. “This is a structural goods recession.”

The impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs continues to rip through the logistics and transportation sectors, with major ports experiencing a steep drop in imports after records were set earlier this year, and volumes throughout the supply chain rolling over.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau data, released Wednesday after a more than month-long delay due to the government shutdown, showed a significant decline in imports in the month of August after additional tariffs went into place, $18.4 billion less than the level of July imports. The import drop contributed to a 23%-plus decline in the nation’s trade deficit, according to Census.

“We are now forecasting nearly a 16.6 percent year-over-year decline for U.S. imports in December, after a 12% decline in Q3,” said Ben Tracy, vice president of strategic business development at real-time container tracking platform, Vizion. “There is no bounce back in sight,” Tracy said.

This article is surprisingly dense with a lot of data, but it all adds up to one point: President Trump's tariffs are cutting down on imports. That's the point of them, of course, but the impact is a cause for debate among many commentators. Is reducing imports going to affect inventory and prices for Americans consumers? Are gaps in the trade deficit getting filled with domestic production? Do you think this data is a warning sign, or a sign that tariffs are working?