Economy and News
Macro shifts, policy moves, and the news that actually hits the budget.
Delta Is the Third Major Airline to Raise Bag Fees and Jet Fuel Is the Reason
Delta Air Lines joined American and United in raising checked bag fees as the Iran war drives jet fuel costs to their highest levels in...
Consumer Confidence Drops Again in April as Tariffs and Job Worries Compound
The Conference Board's April reading came in below consensus as households flagged tariff costs, weakening job availability, and a tougher...
The EIA Just Raised Its Gas Price Forecast and American Drivers Should Expect to Pay $4.30 a Gallon This Month
The Energy Information Administration sharply increased its gasoline price projections for 2026 and 2027 as the Iran conflict continues to...
The Affordability Economy Has Flipped the American Housing Map Upside Down
National home price appreciation has slowed to 1.1 percent, the weakest since tracking began in 2012. Sun Belt markets that boomed during...
The Affordability Economy Created a Housing Market Nobody Predicted
Sun Belt home prices are collapsing while Rust Belt cities are surging, and the regional divergence is rewriting everything investors and...
Q1 2026 Earnings Season Is Telling a More Complicated Story Than Wall Street Headlines Suggest
The S&P 500 is hitting records and most companies are beating estimates. But read the actual earnings reports and the economy looks far...
What the Economy Is Actually Doing to Regular People Right Now
You don't need a financial degree to understand what's happening. But you do need to be paying attention.
Georgia Senate Race 2026 Is Already Shaping Up to Be the Most Expensive Midterm Seat in America
Q1 fundraising reports filed this week show the Georgia Senate race has already pulled in more money than any other 2026 midterm contest....
March Retail Sales Came In Soft and Consumers Are Sending a Clear Message
The Commerce Department's March retail report shows American consumers pulling back in the categories that carry the economy. Here is what...
Gold Hits 3,500 Record High as Safe Haven Demand Accelerates
Gold closed at a record 3,500 dollars an ounce this afternoon as the Hormuz situation stretched into a second week and central bank buying...
March CPI Comes In Hotter Than Expected and the Fed Rate Path Just Narrowed
March inflation numbers released this morning came in at 3.4 percent year over year, above the 3.2 percent consensus, and the Fed now has...
13 States Are Now Seeing Home Prices Fall as the National Housing Market Hits an Affordability Ceiling
New data from Cotality shows annual home price appreciation slowed to just 0.5% in February, with 13 states recording outright declines....
April Jobs Report Preview: What to Watch on May 2
The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the April employment situation report on May 2, and economists are watching payroll revisions, wage...
Texas Senate GOP Runoff Heads Into Final Stretch With Paxton Up Eight on Cornyn
Texas Public Opinion Research released an April 17 poll showing Attorney General Ken Paxton leading Senator John Cornyn 48 to 40 percent...
British Fighter Jets Scrambled in Romania After Russian Drone Crashes Damage Property
Two RAF Eurofighter Typhoons launched from Borcea Air Base early Saturday morning during a large overnight Russian strike on Ukraine. Drone...
The Tariff Refund Window Opens April 20 and Most Families Will Never See a Dime
The Supreme Court struck down Trump's IEEPA tariffs in February. The refund window opens April 20. Companies are entitled to billions....
The IMF Cut Its Global Growth Forecast Again and the Iran War Is the Reason
The IMF's April 2026 World Economic Outlook shows global growth slowing to 3.1 percent this year, with the adverse scenario now looking...
Meta Is Tracking What Its Employees Click. The Data Is Going to Train AI.
Meta confirmed plans to monitor employee activity at scale to build proprietary AI training datasets. Workers say they weren't fully...
The 2026 Economy Looks Good on Paper. Workers Are Not Feeling It.
Goldman Sachs projects 2.6% GDP growth for 2026, but unemployment is expected to stay at 4.5% and tariff inflation remains stuck at 2.8%....
Trump Extended the Iran Ceasefire Again. Here Is What Investors Need to Watch Right Now.
President Trump announced an extension of the Iran ceasefire on April 21 after Tehran failed to submit a unified proposal. The Hormuz...
Starbucks Is Coming to Nashville, and It Signals Something Bigger Than a Coffee Chain
Starbucks just announced a $100 million investment and 2,000 jobs in Nashville, Tennessee. The move says more about where American business...
Oil Holds Above $100 as Iran Peace Talks Hit a Wall
Brent crude remains elevated above $100 a barrel as Middle East ceasefire negotiations stall, pulling US markets back from record highs and...
March Retail Sales Jumped 1.7 Percent. The Gas Station Numbers Tell a Different Story.
The Commerce Department's March retail sales report posted the strongest monthly gain in three years. Strip out gas station revenues driven...
The Tariff Refund System Is Live. What 330,000 Importers Need to Know Now.
The U.S. government has launched a formal refund system for companies that paid tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February. The...