Hot Producer Price Inflation Adds to Fed’s Complex and Worsening Inflation Problem

by Wolf Richter • Mar 18, 2026 • 8 Comments

Worst 6-month PPI inflation since August 2022 (+5.3% annualized). After multiple rate cuts by the Fed, inflation heats up everywhere: services, food, energy, other goods.

The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in America: Price Drops & Gains in 33 Big Expensive Cities, February 2026

by Wolf Richter • Mar 17, 2026 • 37 Comments

Each city has its own housing market. In some, home prices have dropped a lot; in others, prices have hit new highs.

Pending Home Sales Ticked Up from Record Low. But Now Mortgage Rates Spiked Back over 6.3%

by Wolf Richter • Mar 17, 2026 • 21 Comments

Home sales in February, as feeble as they were, benefitted from the lowest mortgage rates in years. Those rates are now gone.

Another Mostly Empty Office Tower in San Francisco Sells for 75% Off: Juul’s Abandoned Headquarters

by Wolf Richter • Mar 16, 2026 • 43 Comments

Now there’s a new wave of investor-funded tenants in town that are swimming in cash: AI companies.

Treasury Yields Jump, 10-Year to 4.28%, 30-Year to 4.90%, Mortgage Rates Spike to 6.41%, on Inflation & Deficit Fears

by Wolf Richter • Mar 14, 2026 • 53 Comments

US Government sold $651 billion of Treasury securities this week into these rising yields.

What it Takes to Sell Homes in this Market: Lennar Cuts Average Selling Price to 2017 Level

by Wolf Richter • Mar 13, 2026 • 76 Comments

Much lower margins, lower revenues per square foot, and lower construction costs. “We are adapting to market conditions as they are and not waiting for the market to bounce back”: CEO.

Core PCE Inflation Hits 3.1%, Worst in 2 Years, in Unique Twist Blows way past CPI Inflation. Driven by Core Services

by Wolf Richter • Mar 13, 2026 • 29 Comments

Energy spike is still to come. And today’s GDP inflation measure was revised up to 3.8%, worst since Q4 2022. The Fed needs to pay attention.

Energy Inflation for Americans

by Wolf Richter • Mar 12, 2026 • 53 Comments

Dropping gasoline prices since mid-2022 papered over big price increases in electricity and natural gas. But that’s now over.

Food Inflation in America

by Wolf Richter • Mar 11, 2026 • 106 Comments

Not good.

CPI Inflation Rose on Food & Energy Prices, even before Gasoline Price Spike. YoY still Pushed Down by Bad-Joke OER

by Wolf Richter • Mar 11, 2026 • 57 Comments

The Bad Joke of Owners Equivalent of Rent (OER) explained.

Supply of Single-Family Homes Surges to Highest for February in 9 Years, Demand Stuck in the Deepfreeze

by Wolf Richter • Mar 10, 2026 • 73 Comments

Condo sales plunged to a record low shared with two other months.

Gasoline Prices Spike, Now up 25% since January, Diesel Prices 40%, Heating up Inflation

by Wolf Richter • Mar 10, 2026 • 73 Comments

California is back over $5. Prices in Texas jumped by 25% month to month, to over $3.23.

Crude Oil WTI Plunged by 24%, Back Below $88, from $116 Overnight. Gasoline Futures -16%. Manic Speculation Unwinds

by Wolf Richter • Mar 9, 2026 • 60 Comments

The Futures Market is where the Imbeciles go nuts.

Crude Oil WTI Spikes by 28% Overnight to $116, Gasoline Futures +17%. Asian Stocks Plunge, US Stock Futures Deep Red

by Wolf Richter • Mar 8, 2026 • 103 Comments

For the US, the Strait of Hormuz blockage is a Price Shock and inflation problem, not a Supply Shock. For Europe & Asia, it could turn into a Supply Shock if the blockage persists.