Here's what actually moves markets: the gap between what workers produce and what they earn. Take the US—wages are running hot compared to productivity gains, so people spend more and stash less cash. It's the opposite story in China, where labor output far outpaces wage growth. That massive productivity-wage gap? It fuels one of the world's highest savings rates. These dynamics ripple through everything—consumption patterns, asset allocation, inflation pressures. Understanding this productivity-wage relationship is key to reading where capital flows and how different economies will perform.