WHOOSH, Went the Economy in Q3. The Fed Needs to Watch Out, Economy Is Running Hot by Wolf Richter • Dec 23, 2025 • 53 Comments Strong consumer spending growth (despite Sour Mood), big improvement of trade deficit, and government spending growth after two quarters of declines.
Mortgage Rates Are Not Too High. What’s too High Are Home Prices that Exploded by 40-70% in 2 Years, Creating the “Affordability Crisis” by Wolf Richter • Nov 29, 2025 • 178 Comments But there is a solution to this affordability crisis.
Credit Card Delinquencies, Balances, Burden, Credit Limits, and Collections in Q3 2025 by Wolf Richter • Nov 21, 2025 • 78 Comments Despite all moaning and groaning and sour feelings in consumer land, credit card delinquency rates improved further.
How Americans Handled their Auto Loans & Leases in Q3 2025: Subprime & Prime Delinquency Rates, Balances, and Burden by Wolf Richter • Nov 10, 2025 • 43 Comments Loan balances remained flat for a year despite higher unit sales, an unusual situation. Two reasons: prices and cash deals.
Here Come the HELOCs: Mortgages, Housing-Debt-to-Income-Ratio, Serious Delinquencies, and Foreclosures in Q3 2025 by Wolf Richter • Nov 7, 2025 • 73 Comments Banks are mostly off the hook this time; risks were shifted to taxpayers and investors.
Household Debts, Debt-to-Income Ratio, Delinquencies, Collections, Foreclosures, and Bankruptcies of our (not so) Drunken Sailors in Q3 2025 by Wolf Richter • Nov 5, 2025 • 76 Comments The long-defaulted federal student loans were pulled out of the forbearance closet.
AI-Powered Tricolor and its Mushroom Cloud of Fraud Allegations Are a Sign Greedy Lenders Closed their Eyes for Years, Not a Sign Consumers Are “Cracking” or Whatever by Wolf Richter • Oct 17, 2025 • 60 Comments American consumers are doing OK on their auto loans.
Tariff Cash Keeps Rolling In: Record $30 Billion in September by Wolf Richter • Oct 1, 2025 • 101 Comments Corporate profits, after exploding in the high-inflation era, fell this year. Tariffs are very difficult to pass on after the price spikes in 2020-2022.
What Slowdown? Q2 GDP Growth Revised Up to Hot Zone of 3.8%, Stronger Consumer Spending & Private Fixed Investment by Wolf Richter • Sep 25, 2025 • 57 Comments Government consumption and inventories were a bigger drag though. All adjusted for inflation.
My Thoughts about those August Retail Sales by Wolf Richter • Sep 16, 2025 • 34 Comments Some big shifts related to tariffs. But our Drunken Sailors keep on splurging.
