Daily Brief: American Paychecks Are Shrinking — Real Wages Fall as Inflation Outpaces Earnings
BLS data shows median weekly earnings rose just 1.5% in Q3 while CPI gained 3.5%. Seasonally adjusted wages dropped from Q2. The paycheck is bigger,...
Daily Brief: Housing Starts Slide for Third Straight Month as Builder Confidence Hits 14-Year Low
Housing starts fell 5.2% to 1.221M in September — a third straight decline — while builder confidence crashed to a 14-year low of 29. The housing...
Daily Brief: 7.1M Job Openings, 7.1M Unemployed — The American Labor Market’s Stubborn Stalemate
The math is almost poetic: 7.1M job openings, 7.1M unemployed. But the 1:1 ratio hides a mismatch strangling construction, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Daily Brief: Homebuilder Confidence Hits 29 as AI Rebound Lifts Futures
NAHB Housing Market Index misses badly at 29, while beaten-down AI chip stocks bounce premarket after the Nasdaq's worst week since June. A...
Daily Brief: Trading Partner Inflation Check — September 2026
Trading partner inflation check: US hits 3.7%, India surges to 5.54%, and energy costs drive prices higher across the board. The inflation differential...
Daily Brief: Trade Prices Surge Completes a Hat-Trick of Hot Inflation Data
Import prices surged 1.1% in September, export prices jumped 2.2% — capping a week where CPI, PPI, and trade data all came in hot. The Fed's rate-cut...
Daily Brief: Six Years From Insolvency — the Social Security Clock Keeps Ticking
Social Security's trust fund is six years from insolvency. Yesterday's 3.6% COLA is a reminder: without reform, a 22% benefit cut hits every retiree in...
Daily Brief: PPI Surges to 6.3% as Wholesale Inflation Blows Past Every Forecast
Wholesale inflation surged to 6.3% in September — a full point above consensus — while retail sales crushed estimates and Philly Fed manufacturing...
Daily Brief: CPI Runs Hot at 3.7% as Gasoline Soars and Core Reaccelerates
September CPI ran hot at 3.7% as gasoline jumped 9.1% and core inflation reaccelerated to 2.6%, squeezing real wages and spooking markets.
Daily Brief: Small Business Optimism Dips Below 50-Year Average on Eve of CPI
NFIB optimism fell to 97.9 in September as inflation fears jumped and only 7% of owners saw a good time to expand. The data lands just before...