What Changed? | Corporate America entered 2025 with resilient earnings. But now, the underlying drivers look less stable. Consumer spending is softening as high prices continue to weigh on households. It's a key early signal for corporate revenue. | What's happening now is not a margin crisis. But the early signs suggest Q1 2026 earnings may be the first real test of whether profits can hold up in a cooling demand environment. | | Meet the ChatGPT of Marketing – Still Just $0.85 | | RAD Intel is tackling a timeless, trillion-dollar problem — helping companies find and influence the right customers. Already trusted by a who's-who of Fortune 1000 brands and leading global agencies with recurring seven-figure partnerships in place. | Its proprietary platform reads real-time culture across TikTok, Reddit, and other hard-to-see corners of the open web, surfacing precise audience segments and the creative angles that drive action. | The tech is fast, battle-tested with Fortune 1000 brands, and backed by Adobe, Fidelity Ventures, and insiders from Meta, Google, Youtube, and Amazon. | Momentum is clear — valuation is up 4900% in just 4 years, Nasdaq ticker $RADI reserved, and shares are still available privately at $0.85 in the Reg A+ round.* | If you'd rather make the news than read it in the WSJ, this is the window. More than 14,000 investors already in. | 👉 Invest Early - Shares Just $0.85 | | This Week's Briefing | As per the latest reading of the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, sentiment is almost 12% lower than it was at the start of the year. The reason? "Consumers continue to cite the burden of high prices." | S&P Global expects a 4% growth in holiday sales. What's hiding behind the headline, though, is their assessment that "price increases are [the] main reason for growth." In fact, the firm states that they "forecast an overall price increase of 3%, largely in line with S&P Global's CPI forecast of 2.9% in the fourth quarter of this year." | Major US retailers have issued the same warning on profitability. For example, Target saw its Q3 comparable sales fall by -2.7%, tumbling by more than analysts expected. Guidance for Q4 is negative as well. | Today, layoffs are mounting. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, layoffs in the US had already topped 1 million as of the end of November. That's 54% more than one year ago. And more importantly, the most since the start of the global pandemic. It's flashing a warning sign for the months ahead. | We could see trouble as there is a disconnect between corporate earnings and layoffs. Normally, when employee layoffs pick up, it's because the business is lowering costs to aid in profitability. But that's not what's happening. At least right now. As the chief global strategist at Alpine Macro explains, "this is something that is completely different from a historical playbook. It's kind of odd to see Amazon laying off 30,000 people even though the profit is doing really, really well." | | Takeaway | Corporate America isn't facing a margin collapse. Not at all. But the forces that support them are shifting. | Cooling consumer spending, elevated labor costs and a fresh round of layoffs are raising questions about how durable profits will be as 2026 begins. It's a setup that makes forward expectations more difficult to meet. Q1 2026 will be the first real test of whether margins can withstand a slower, more cautious economy. | With Q1 earnings historically setting the tone for the year, investors are watching closely to see whether the slowdown in demand deepens. | — Lauren Brown
Editor, American Ledger | Sources: | Factset, February 2025 https://insight.factset.com/earnings-insight-infographic-q4-2024-by-the-numbers | Reuters, December 2025 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-consumer-spending-moderates-september-2025-12-05/ | University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, December 2025 https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/ | S&P Global, November 2025 https://www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/regulatory/article/us-holiday-2025-retail-sales-outlook-retailers-wrapped-in-caution-s101654690 | Business Insider, November 2025 https://www.businessinsider.com/target-earnings-sales-struggles-2025-11 | CNBC, December 2025 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/04/layoff-announcements-this-year-top-1point1-million-the-most-since-2020-when-pandemic-hit-challenger-says.html | CBS News, November 2025 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jobless-boom-ai-economy-labor-market-corporate-profits-layoffs | *Disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement for RAD Intel made pursuant to Regulation A+ offering and involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The valuation is set by the Company and there is currently no public market for the Company's Common Stock. Nasdaq ticker "RADI" has been reserved by RAD Intel and any potential listing is subject to future regulatory approval and market conditions. Brand references reflect factual platform use, not endorsement. Investor references reflect factual individual or institutional participation and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship by the referenced companies. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.radintel.ai. |
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