The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday, Oct. 19, edition that despite being squeezed by high prices, Americans have kept spending at a robust pace. An Associated Press dispatch to The Globe reports that wealthier consumers, boosted by strong gains in income, home equity and stock market wealth, have increasingly driven the spending. Federal Reserve research shows a shift from prepandemic trends, indicating that consumer spending could sustain healthy growth in the U.S. economy this year and next. Lower-income consumers have been hit hard by rising rent, groceries and other necessities, limiting their spending on discretionary items like electronics and dining out. While their spending is beginning to recover as incomes rise, it may take years for their finances to fully bounce back. The disparities highlight the gap between negative consumer sentiment and signs of a healthy U.S. economy. A small segment of the population is driving most of the growth reflected in government economic data. One sign of the struggles that lower-income consumers have faced is that the proportion of borrowers who are behind on credit cards or auto loans has risen in the past two years to the highest levels in about a decade.