Heading into the final quarter of 2025, American consumers showed no signs of tightening their belts. Spending kept flowing and credit lines stayed active, even as the year dealt out plenty of headwinds—jobs felt less secure, tariff concerns loomed large, and inflation stubbornly refused to back down. The picture is interesting because it reveals a split: households are still willing to keep money moving through the economy, yet underlying anxieties haven't disappeared. For crypto and broader markets, this backdrop matters. Consumer resilience typically supports risk appetite, but those lingering worries about employment stability and persistent price pressures could shift sentiment quickly. The data suggests we're in a holding pattern—people are spending, but how long that lasts depends on whether tariffs escalate further and whether inflation finally starts cooling.