Campbell Co., maker of soups and snacks, cut its guidance for the current year, saying net sales will fall 1 to 2 percent compared to last year.
Category: TRENDS ON THE U.S. ECONOMIC FRONT – Mar 17 2026
SMALL BUSINESSES SENT MIXED MESSAGES IN FEBRUARY
U.S. small businesses were slightly less confident in February than in January but have higher hopes for the future, according to the newest monthly small business poll by the National Federation of Independent Business.
SELLING PRICES FOR NEW CARS HAVE SOARED IN THE K-SHAPED ECONOMY
As more U.S. households have less disposable income to spend, buying a new car has increasingly become a privilege of the well-off, according to Reuters.
U.S. TRADE DEFICIT NARROWED IN JANUARY AS GOLD EXPORTS SURGED
U.S. exports grew by 5.5 percent in January while imports rose by just 0.7 percent, resulting in a monthly trade deficit of $54.5 billion, 25 percent less than in December, the U.S. commerce department reported.
U.S. INFLATION STAYS FLAT IN FEBRUARY. THAT WAS BEFORE THE WAR.
In February, the annual U.S. headline inflation rate was 2.4 percent, the same as in January, the U.S. labor department reported. Core inflation, which ignores food and energy costs, was paced at 2.5 percent, aligned with economists’ expectations.
MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES JUMP AS WAR RAISES BOND RATES
Last week, the average U.S. national interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage reached 6.41 percent, Mortgage News Daily (MND) reported, the highest rate since last September.
U.S. GDP GROWTH IN 2025 FOURTH QUARTER WAS LESS THAN THOUGHT
The U.S. economy grew by a scant 0.7 percent in last year’s final three months, the commerce department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis reported last week.






