Auto Loan Balances, Debt-to-Income Ratio, and Delinquencies of Subprime & Prime Auto Loans in Q1 2026. How Bad Is it?

by Wolf Richter • May 19, 2026 • 8 Comments

Several subprime-specialized dealer-lender chains collapsed, and shares of America’s Auto Mart imploded. Subprime lending is not for the squeamish. But it’s only a small part of auto finance.

Food Inflation in America by Product: It Boils down to a Sharp Acceleration on Top of Already Very High Prices

by Wolf Richter • May 18, 2026 • 90 Comments

Ground beef, steak, chicken, fruit & veggies, coffee, dairy, eggs, other foods, and total.

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

by Wolf Richter • May 16, 2026 • 56 Comments

Home prices fell year-over-year in 25 of the 33 big expensive cities in April, a bunch set multi-year lows, led by Oakland & Austin, down by 26% from 2022. Two set new highs.

US Government Sold $691 Billion of Treasury Securities this Week, 10-Year Yield Spikes to 4.6%, 30-Year Yield to 5.12% as 2nd Wave of Inflation Takes Off

by Wolf Richter • May 15, 2026 • 82 Comments

The Fed is “behind the curve,” and the bond market is getting very nervous.

Here Come the HELOCs: Mortgages, Housing-Debt-to-Income-Ratio, Serious Delinquencies, and Foreclosures in Q1 2026

by Wolf Richter • May 14, 2026 • 76 Comments

Mortgage balances barely ticked up, but HELOCs soared.

Producer Price Inflation Explodes as the Services PPI Blows Out on Top of the Energy Price Spike

by Wolf Richter • May 13, 2026 • 121 Comments

This is a massive amount of inflation that companies are passing on to each other through much of the economy.

Household Debts, Debt-to-Income Ratio, Serious Delinquencies, Foreclosures, Collections & Bankruptcies in Q1 2026

by Wolf Richter • May 12, 2026 • 55 Comments

Americans and their Debts: Student loans that suddenly have to be repaid again fueled overall delinquency rates.

CPI Inflation Blows Past Fed Rates as Core Services, Gasoline, Electricity, and Food Spike. Fed’s “Real” Rates Are now Negative

by Wolf Richter • May 12, 2026 • 115 Comments

The Bureau of Labor Statistics finally corrected part of the CPI distortions in September, October, and November.

Supply of Existing Single-Family Homes Rises to Highest in 10 Years, Condo Supply Highest since 2012, Sales in Deepfreeze

by Wolf Richter • May 11, 2026 • 74 Comments

April was another bad dud for spring selling season as supply continued to pile up.

Housing Bubble & Bust #1 and #2 as Seen through Employment at Mortgage Lenders and Mortgage Brokers

by Wolf Richter • May 8, 2026 • 60 Comments

Nonbank mortgage lenders shed 40% of their jobs this time, and loan brokers 38%. They react to demand, which collapsed.

Weirdest U.S. Labor Market I’ve Ever Seen: Supply of Labor Shrinks Further while Private-Sector Jobs Grow

by Wolf Richter • May 8, 2026 • 91 Comments

Federal government sheds more jobs, now down to 1966 levels. This labor market isn’t bad, just weird.

Prices of Used EVs Spike, from already Lofty Levels, as Gasoline Prices Spike. But Electricity Prices also Soared

by Wolf Richter • May 7, 2026 • 33 Comments

High gasoline prices tilt operating costs in favor of EVs. But soaring electricity prices eat into that math.

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.

Housing Market’s Crucial “Spring Selling Season” Is in Tatters

by Wolf Richter • May 6, 2026 • 98 Comments

For the 4th year in a row: Normal-ish mortgage rates, too-high prices, and the “lock-in effect” from the Fed’s reckless interest-rate repression.

New Single-Family Home Prices Drop Further amid Inventory Glut. But Lower Prices Beget Higher Sales

by Wolf Richter • May 5, 2026 • 42 Comments

Inventory in the South still sky-high, up 60% from March 2019. But homebuilders understand what it takes: lower prices and big incentives.

Bond Market on Edge: Treasury Yields Spike, 30-Year to 5.03%, Mortgage Rates to 6.52%, as Gulf War Reheats

by Wolf Richter • May 4, 2026 • 98 Comments

Which raises a question: How many more Fed rate cuts would it take in this inflationary era to drive the 30-year Treasury yield to 6%?

The US Government sold $723 billion of Treasury Securities this Week. Inflation Jumped and Met T-bill Yields

by Wolf Richter • May 3, 2026 • 62 Comments

30-year Treasury yield looks like it’s setting up to break out past 5%. A rate cut while inflation is heating up could do it.

Gap between Single-Family Rents & Multifamily Rents Widens to Record as Multifamily under Pressure

by Wolf Richter • May 1, 2026 • 70 Comments

The big divergence of asking rents in 14 big metropolitan areas by single-family rentals and multifamily units.

THANK YOU 💖 for Your Wonderful Support of WOLF STREET!!! If You Missed the Spring Reminder: Please Donate

by Wolf Richter • May 1, 2026 • 5 Comments

Your wonderful support is what keeps Wolf Street open to all, without paywall, to reach the largest possible audience.

Inflation in the Entire US economy Is Rocking and Rolling, and It’s Not Just Energy

by Wolf Richter • Apr 30, 2026 • 140 Comments

The 6-month core services PCE inflation index, accelerating since August, hit 3.7% annualized. Chip prices and software wreak havoc amid consumer electronics.