Here Come the HELOCs: Mortgages, Housing-Debt-to-Income-Ratio, Serious Delinquencies, and Foreclosures in Q1 2026 by Wolf Richter • May 14, 2026 • 23 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 • 116 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 • 52 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 • 113 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.
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.
Regime Change: Powell, Chair of Mega-QE & “Ample Reserves Regime,” to Be Replaced by Warsh, who Wants a Smaller Balance Sheet by Wolf Richter • Apr 29, 2026 • 31 Comments But Powell said he’d stay on as governor until “the investigation is well and truly over,” and promised “to keep a low profile” and support the new chair.
This Fed Meeting Must Have Been a Hoot. Fed Holds Rates amid 4 Dissents, most since 1992: 1 Dovish, 3 Hawkish by Wolf Richter • Apr 29, 2026 • 65 Comments “Inflation is elevated, in part reflecting the recent increase in global energy prices.” In part. And in part for other reasons.
Housing Unit Growth Far Outruns Population Growth: Vacant Units on the Market and the “Accidental Landlords” by Wolf Richter • Apr 28, 2026 • 92 Comments These dynamics are now moving in the right direction.
