This year’s exodus from tech stocks and other growth-focused corners of the market has been well-documented. But after the NASDAQ and Dow Jones Industrial Average both entered a correction last week, it is increasingly evident that Main Street is feeling the pinch just as much as Wall Street.
Consumer discretionary, for example, is 2026’s second-worst performer of the S&P 500’s 11 sectors through the first quarter of the year, which underscores how Americans are dealing with sticky inflation and subsequently tighter budgets.
