Solidifying fears of a negative impact of the Administration’s chaotic tariff and trade policy, U.S. employers have largely stopped investing in new labor. The June jobs numbers came in well below estimates at just 73,000 new jobs created last month. Furthermore, and more concern, the revisions for May showed that hiring was much lower than […]
Author: Kristy Bendall
U.S. Leading Economic Index continues to decline
In what is seen as one of the strongest indicators of where the U.S. economy is heading in the short term, The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) provides an early indication of significant turning points in the business cycle and where the economy is heading in the near term. Yesterday’s index release showed that the US […]
Foreign investment and spending in the U.S. continue to drop
In a continued downward trend, expenditures by foreign direct investors to acquire, establish, or expand U.S. businesses decreased by $24.9 billion, or 14.2 percent. At $151.0 billion, they were below the annual average of $277.2 billion for 2014–2023. In a new release today by the U.S Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, expenditures by […]
Passing of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ – a dark day for America’s most vulnerable
With the final tie-breaking vote cast by Vice-President J.D. Vance, the House passed the Trump Administration’s Big Beautiful Bill today, sending it to Trump’s desk in time for an Independence Day signing ceremony. While the Right celebrates a victory, happy with the many carve-outs geared to line the pockets of the right-wing elite and advance […]
Trump touts ‘Hottest Country anywhere in the World’ as US personal income drops by the most significant amount since September 2021
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released more concerning data for US consumers. In what was the most significant drop in almost four years. Personal incomes decreased $109.6 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in May. Meaning US consumers had less access to income to purchase goods. With continued apprehension over softening job markets, […]
US Consumers – including Trump’s base – more pessimistic in June Consumer Confidence Index
The Conference Board released its Consumer Confidence Index yesterday, revealing a pessimistic outlook among American consumers. The index fell by 5.4 points to just 93.0, down from 98.4 in May. Interestingly, the Expectations Index, which is composed of consumers’ near-term outlook for income, labor market conditions, and business fell by another 4.6 points down to […]
American consumers pull back spending amid Trump policy chaos
With ongoing uncertainty from the Administration regarding international trade, American consumers are anxious and have reduced their spending substantially in May. Retailers experienced their second consecutive month of plummeting consumer spending. And the decline is growing. After a slight decline of just -0.1% in April – May retail sales fell off the proverbial cliff, […]
Buy your way into the USA! Trump launches pay-for-access Visa while aggressively deporting poor migrants
In back-to-back Truth Social posts yesterday afternoon, Trump showcased the dichotomy of his immigration plan. In the first post, Trump touted that “FOR FIVE MILLION $DOLLARS, THE TRUMP CARD IS COMING! More than fifteen thousand have signed up and joined the Waiting List since we opened the site last night!” While in the second post […]
U.S. trade policy chaos expected to spur Global economic slowdown
With the world’s largest economy sputtering amid ongoing chaotic tariff and trade policy, the World Bank released its twice-annual Global Economic Prospects report on June 10. The report slashed its annual U.S. growth rate from 2.3% – which it had predicted just six months ago, to just 1.4%. If the prediction is correct, it would […]
Q1 U.S. productivity drops, marking slowdown in growth
Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased 1.5 percent in the first quarter of 2025. Interestingly, output decreased by 0.2 percent, and hours worked increased by 1.3 percent. In other words, everyday workers are putting in more hours for less productivity. This is the first decline in […]