Economic Headwinds Weigh Heavily on US Market as 2026 Gets Off to a Rocky Start. A perfect storm of rising gasoline prices, sluggish job growth, and dwindling consumer confidence has sent the market plummeting to begin the year. Vehicle affordability has also become a major concern, as Americans struggle to balance the high cost of living with the ever-increasing prices of new and used cars. As a result, investors are bracing for a potentially rough ride ahead, with economists warning that these economic headwinds could continue to weigh heavily on the market in the coming months.
Vehicle affordability, surging gasoline prices, lackluster job growth and waning consumer confidence pushed the market lower to start 2026.