Construction Spending on Data Centers, Factories, Chip Plants, Powerplants, Office Buildings: Boom one End, Bust the Other by Wolf Richter • May 7, 2026 • 21 Comments AI investment mania and the second wave of semiconductor plants.
Without Government Spending & Trade, GDP Rose by 2.5% in Q1, Boosted by AI Investments. Debt-to-GDP Ticks up to 122.6% by Wolf Richter • Apr 30, 2026 • 20 Comments Consumer Spending Was OK-ish. Federal government spending spiked back partially after collapsing during the shutdown. Trade worsened.
Bond Market Gets Edgy as US Treasury Debt Hits $39 Trillion, Spiking by $2 Trillion in 7.5 Months and Not Slowing Down by Wolf Richter • Mar 19, 2026 • 80 Comments But debt doesn’t exist in a vacuum: The Debt-to-GDP and Deficit-to-GDP ratios provide (ugly) context.
Fed Holds Rates, now with Only 1 Dissenter, Sees Accelerating Inflation & GDP Growth by Wolf Richter • Mar 18, 2026 • 79 Comments Dot Plot projections still point at 1 rate cut in 2026. Powell: “If we don’t see that progress [on inflation], then you won’t see that rate cut.”
Update on the Fed’s Balance Sheet and its Reserve Management Purchases by Wolf Richter • Mar 5, 2026 • 24 Comments Adding T-bills, shedding MBS, Treasury note & bond balances on ice, SRF unused.
Private Sector Ramps Up Hiring. Job Losses Mount at Federal & State Governments by Wolf Richter • Feb 11, 2026 • 64 Comments How much job growth is actually needed as population growth slows dramatically?
Single-Family Home Prices Barely up YoY, Condo Prices Fall, Highest Supply for Nov in Years, Sales at Housing Bust Levels by Wolf Richter • Dec 19, 2025 • 95 Comments The beginning of the 4th year of demand destruction in the resale market after the price explosion from mid-2020 to mid-2022.
Spike in Refis, Triggered by Small Dip in Mortgage Rates, Fizzled. Demand for Mortgages to Purchase Homes Still in Deepfreeze by Wolf Richter • Oct 8, 2025 • 69 Comments Mortgage rates are higher than before the rate cuts started over a year ago.
Core Services PPI Explodes, Worst since March 2020, Causes Overall PPI and Core PPI to Explode by Wolf Richter • Aug 14, 2025 • 223 Comments Food prices also spiked. Energy prices surged due to diesel, jet fuel, and industrial electric power. Ugly all around.
The 10 Bigger Cities with the Biggest Price Declines of Single-Family Homes (-9% to -23%) from Peak through June by Wolf Richter • Jul 22, 2025 • 37 Comments Austin, Oakland, New Orleans, San Francisco, Birmingham, Washington DC, Fort Myers, Denver, Portland, and Phoenix.
