Commentary

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 17 hours ago

The Energy Department expects the U.S. average residential electricity rate to rise around 4% next year following a 4.9% increase in 2025. Spending on power is usually the second-biggest energy-related expense for consumers after gasoline. https://buff.ly/1CdkrBy

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 19 hours ago

Ross Dress for Less is planning to leave downtown Seattle while Nordstrom's Rack is making a move to a location vacant since 2020. The city's core is always active but with a higher vacancy rate options are being explored. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/retail/downtown-seattle-retail-upheaval-ross-is-out-nordstrom-rack-moving/?utm_source=marketingcloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning+Brief+12-29-25_12_29_2025&utm_term=Active%20subscriber

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 19 hours ago

Increasing numbers of people are turning to dating apps to find not love but jobs. Recognizing that the online job hunt is broken, applicants are seeking unorthodox paths to find a live hiring manager. https://buff.ly/YdmhdHp

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 21 hours ago

Trump overturned decades of US trade policy in 2025. See the impact of his tariffs, in four charts. https://buff.ly/tGNhT1P

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 2 days ago

A 49-mile stretch of Highway 2 is closed because of record-breaking flooding. Communities along the highway are feeling the impact. Overall, the state may see minor total economic impacts depending on the change in overall spending. https://buff.ly/P9efTBT Here's why - if the total spending only minimally changes (ie people vacation/spend similarly elsewhere in state) then the economic impacts have little change. If people do not spend at a similar rate, then we have negative impacts. Interestingly - highway repairs will have positive localized impacts and state impacts. Of course, results will vary by business and some are likely to be very negatively impacted.

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 3 days ago

In November, 1 in 4 US shoppers made a purchase using a “buy now, pay later” service. Long billed as a way to make large purchases more affordable with minimal debt, you can now find a way to use BNPL for almost anything. https://buff.ly/m2Ez2nb