Fears over the strength of the UK economy appear to have kept shoppers away from high streets on Black Friday, adding to growing evidence that consumer caution will weigh heavily on growth into 2026. Footfall across all shopping destinations fell by 2% on Friday and was 7.2% lower than the equivalent days last year, according to data from monitoring firm MRI Software. Only locations close to central London offices bucked the trend, seeing a slight lift as workers browsed stores during breaks
The shutdown could account for up to a $14 billion loss in real GDP, or the total value of goods and services produced by the economy and adjusted for inflation, which won't be recouped, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. A government shutdown usually reduces real GDP temporarily, halting non-essential federal operations, delaying government payments, and cutting spending on services and salaries.
With America's workforce in a demographic crunch and historic changes in immigration policy under way, it is "quite possible that the next five years will see no growth in workers at all."
