Republicans drafting tax-cut legislation in Congress have spontaneously added an additional $104 billion in cuts for closely held businesses—enterprises owned by a small group, usually a family or handful of partners.
Category: TRENDS ON THE U.S. ECONOMIC FRONT – May 20 2025
TOP TREND 2024, BANKS GO BUST: BANK THAT BET BIG ON OFFICE REAL ESTATE FACES PRECARIOUS FUTURE
Bank OZK, based in Arkansas, made its way into big-time banking with what The Wall Street Journal called its “obsessive focus” on taking part in major loans to large office projects.
U.S. ECONOMIC BRIEFS: APRIL RESULTS
In the week ending 10 May, 229,000 people filed new claims for unemployment benefits, the same number as the revised figure from the previous week, the U.S. Labor Department reported.
RETAIL REAL ESTATE BOOM FLATLINES
In the wake of the COVID War, brick-and-mortar retail rebounded and so did the demand for store space.
ARE BRITISH CAR MAKERS LOSING THEIR U.S. MARKET?
In the 1970s, the U.K. produced more cars than any country other than the U.S. Since then, Britain’s car industry lost its technological edge, labor costs increased as unions gained power, and the sector has been rolling downhill for the past half-century.
IF MANUFACTURING RETURNS TO U.S., CAN ROBOTS MAN THE FACTORIES?
A key goal of Donald Trump’s tariff campaign is to revive the U.S. manufacturing industry and open new factories. At the same time, his plan for mass deportations is shrinking the American workforce.
DEMAND FADES AMONG FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS
A large portion of Americans who do not own a home may be giving up on trying, according to data gathered by The Wall Street Journal. Among all homeowners, the share of first-time buyers is at a record low.
APRIL INFLATION PACE WAS THE SLOWEST IN FOUR YEARS
Last month, the U.S. inflation rate slipped from 2.4 percent to 2.3, its slowest since early 2021 and its third consecutive month of decline, the labor department reported last week.
CONSUMERS’ OUTLOOK FALLS TO SECOND-LOWEST IN SURVEY’S HISTORY
Consumers’ gloom deepened for a fifth consecutive month in the University of Michigan’s preliminary May survey of households’ financial outlook.
ECONOMIC UPDATE—MARKET OVERVIEW
As we had forecast, a Top Trend that would be dealt this year is a Wild Card. And week after week, month after month it is a socioeconomic and geopolitical game changer.