When the shortage is the strategy

Corporations have limited supply and raised prices well beyond cost increases since the pandemic, boosting profit margins to record levels. Corporate profits rose 50% while real hourly wages increased only 3%; S&P 500 net profit margins hit 16.9% in Q2 2026. Profits accounted for 53% of inflation by mid-2023, affecting at least eleven major consumer categories, tripling 401(k) hardship withdrawals, and pushing 111 million Americans into chronic credit-card debt.