Population Growth Slows to Crawl, Net Migration May Turn “Negative”: Census Bureau’s New Population Estimates by Wolf Richter • Jan 27, 2026 • 149 Comments Hugely important for housing, employment, and consumer spending.
Americans’ Incomes from Wages & Salaries, Businesses & Farms, Rentals, Dividends & Interest, and Transfer Receipts by Wolf Richter • Jan 23, 2026 • 110 Comments But their massive capital gains, realized and unrealized, are not included here.
Inflation-Adjusted Consumer Spending, Incomes, and Government Transfer Receipts by Wolf Richter • Jan 22, 2026 • 62 Comments Consumers may be in a foul mood, but they’re making money and are spending it, and are still saving some.
Household Money-Market Funds & Large CDs Hit Records despite Lower Yields. But Sorry, It’s Not “Cash on the Sidelines” by Wolf Richter • Jan 12, 2026 • 66 Comments Their balances ballooned even as prices of stocks, gold, silver, et al. surged to records. Everything surged. Almost.
WHOOSH, Went the Economy in Q3. The Fed Needs to Watch Out, Economy Is Running Hot by Wolf Richter • Dec 23, 2025 • 123 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.
