Cautious but steady consumers buoying hopes for US economy


              A worker prepares mannequins inside the Walmart Supercenter in North Bergen, N.J., on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Defying high inflation and sharp interest rate hikes, Americans keep spending — a trend that, if sustained, could keep the economy humming just enough to help avoid a much-predicted recession. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
            
              A man walks past a Reebok display at the Walmart Supercenter in North Bergen, N.J., on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Defying high inflation and sharp interest rate hikes, Americans keep spending — a trend that, if sustained, could keep the economy humming just enough to help avoid a much-predicted recession. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
            Francisco Santana shops at the Walmart Supercenter in North Bergen, N.J., on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. The inflation surge led Santana, a New York City resident, to shift his grocery shopping from local chains to Walmart.  (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)