Black Friday just crushed expectations—$11.8B in spending, an all-time high. Here's the twist: everyone's been screaming recession fears for months, yet wallets stayed wide open. What does this tell us? Consumer confidence isn't dead, it's just selective. People still spend when the deal's right. This kind of resilience in traditional markets often signals shifting capital flows. Watch how this economic pulse translates into risk assets over the next quarter—could be a leading indicator for broader market sentiment.