, Columnist
Can Shoppers Hold Up Global Growth?
The world’s two biggest economies have become reliant on consumers. That pillar is looking increasingly fragile.
Confessions of a Chinese shopaholic.
Photographer: Brent Lewin/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Relying too much on shoppers to tide over growth can be a risky business.
China and the U.S. have been leaning heavily on consumers to sustain their economic expansions. With the threat of hundreds of billions in tariffs looming over goods from bicycles to roof tiles, it seems only a matter of time before these noble buyers start to falter.