KAREN JOY BACUDO
Finance Editor
Visa’s midyear global economic outlook forecasts 2.4% growth in the world economy in 2026, with rising business investment offsetting pressure from higher energy prices.
Visa Business and Economic Insights said households are under strain as energy costs squeeze budgets, but consumer spending has not fallen sharply. Discretionary spending remains relatively steady as shoppers adjust their behaviour and seek lower prices rather than pull back.
That adjustment is increasingly happening online. The outlook says digital commerce is giving consumers more ways to compare prices and switch to cheaper alternatives, helping restrain inflation amid higher living costs.
The effect is no longer limited to major metropolitan areas. Across…
