PCE Inflation (2.9%, 3.0%) and GDP Inflation (3.7%) Got Hotter, but CPI Inflation (2.4%) Cooled. Why? The Fed Needs to Pay Serious Attention by Wolf Richter • Feb 21, 2026 • 51 Comments The PCE price index gets pushed down far less by the doctored housing index than CPI does because housing weighs half as much in PCE.
Hot Inflation & Plunge in Federal Government Spending Slam Real GDP. But Trade Deficit Least Bad in 2 Years by Wolf Richter • Feb 20, 2026 • 28 Comments Domestic private demand, without government and trade, rose by 2.4% adjusted for inflation.
Single-Family & Multifamily Construction: Bring on the Supply just as Population Growth Slows to a Crawl by Wolf Richter • Feb 18, 2026 • 53 Comments This is precisely what this overpriced and frozen housing market needs.
Serious Delinquency Rates for Subprime & Prime Auto Loans, Balances, and Debt-to-Income Ratio in Q4 2025 by Wolf Richter • Feb 17, 2026 • 50 Comments The high-risk, high-profit ecosystem of subprime auto loans is not for the squeamish.
Not Seasonally Adjusted, Retail Sales Spiked by $80 billion, the Most for any December Ever by far, to $817 Billion, the Most Ever by Wolf Richter • Feb 10, 2026 • 34 Comments Seasonal Adjustments Gone Awry? They whacked $82 billion off December sales, by far the most ever.
Despite 4 Years of Mass-Layoffs at Alphabet & Amazon, Headcount Rose in 2025, Nearly Flat with Peak, as Hiring Continued by Wolf Richter • Feb 9, 2026 • 37 Comments After biggest hiring binge ever in 2020-2021, it was clear there’d be a lot of sorting out & cleaning up afterwards.
AMZN, GOOG, MSFT, META, ORCL Plan $700 Billion in Largely AI-Related Capex in 2026. Where the Cash Comes From by Wolf Richter • Feb 7, 2026 • 131 Comments Big Tech is finally plowing their cash & their investors’ cash into the economy.
Here We Go Again on Inflation: Used Vehicle Prices Jump in January, Expected to Jump More in Record Tax-Refund Season by Wolf Richter • Feb 6, 2026 • 71 Comments Tax refunds make great down-payments which are great for higher prices. Every year, the industry salivates over it. But this year will be special.
The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in Canada, Dec 2025: Single-Family & Condo Prices Hit Multi-Year Lows in Toronto, Spike in Montreal, Quebec by Wolf Richter • Jan 15, 2026 • 10 Comments In between: Vancouver, Victoria, Hamilton-Burlington, Calgary, Ottawa, Halifax, Edmonton, Winnipeg.
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.
