Commentary
Latest Episodes
Questions? Comments? Drop us a line!
What We Are Following in the News
Almost half of US millennials say their financial situation has improved from five years ago, according to a survey published Tuesday by Chime. That compares with 43% of Generation X and 40% of baby boomers who say the same. Now between age 29 and 45, many millennials entered the job market during the Great Recession, saddled with historically high student debt. As they slogged through adulthood, they failed to reach financial milestones others had attained by the time they hit 40. Yet while millennials still trail older generations in accumulated wealth, they’ve been catching up, Federal Reserve data show. Since the beginning of 2021, millennials’ net worth has jumped 134% to $19.12 trillion, versus 32% for boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-18/millennials-feel-better-about-their-finances-than-generation-x-baby-boomers?cmpid=eveus&utm_campaign=eveus&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=260818&utm_c
As once-frenetic population growth has slowed to a trickle in Seattle and Bellevue, the fastest-growing sites in our region are places many Seattleites might not be able to find on a map. Thanks to the “Donut Effect,” one Southeast King County community has grown by 61% since 2020. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/while-seattle-slows-the-regions-fastest-growth-is-on-the-fringes/?utm_source=marketingcloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning+Brief+08-18-26_8_18_2026&utm_term=Active%20subscriber
Germany’s businesses these days aren’t just contending with amped-up Chinese competition and elevated energy costs. They’ve also got a major demographic challenge on their hands, according to figures compiled by ZEW Institute and Creditreform, a creditors’ protection association. Almost 190,000 firms ceased operations in 2025, up about 10% from the previous year and the second significant annual increase in a row, the findings show. Only every eighth case was down to insolvency, with more and more firms shuttering due to reasons including skilled-worker shortages, high costs and a lack of people willing to take over.
Donald Trump says deal reached with Canada and pauses tariffs. Last-minute reprieve follows ‘intense’ talks with Mark Carney to avert 50% levies on billions of dollars in goods. https://www.ft.com/content/8a256a34-5e8d-459a-80a3-78ba6aa121af?desktop=true&segmentId=7c8f09b9-9b61-4fbb-9430-9208a9e233c8&syn-25a6b1a6=1#myft:notification:daily-email:content
Multifamily permitting increased nationally in the first half of 2026, but the headline growth masked a widening divide in the apartment development pipeline. While permits rose 4.5% year over year, several of the country's largest multifamily markets recorded significant declines. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the gains are increasingly occurring in smaller markets and among smaller builders. https://www.globest.com/2026/08/18/smaller-multifamily-markets-drove-permit-growth-as-large-metros-diverged?utm_source=email&utm_medium=enl&utm_campaign=nationalalert&utm_c
Long-term borrowing costs across major economies hit multi-decade highs on Tuesday as inflation concerns, deficit fears and surging AI bond issuance put pressure on government debt around the world. https://www.ft.com/content/61354e68-c4ba-4716-b849-b332608c8c65?utm_medium=email&utm_source=exponea&xnpe_cmp=.eJwTUnilUZdTEvH1tufRhA2LggVX-1xe1BNQMZP399Guwu0HqvMNFWalJwotvOUYVaqvn5SfUqlfkpiUk6pfAmEX6ZekQESiLWMxBZFFoo1jYYJIukxjodyUzDIwLtAvLkjM0y8uKcrPS9dPzOJJWHy0m8Eku1zif-_2BiYmABgGRqY.gKdP8dC_JQPMFw&xnpe_tifc=OIH84fhLhfPNh.YjOI_8xjpJVdUZMds_OuHZhF1jbIEstIod4.oA4FYpbCJNxuHXtILuOI_jh.b7OFn8h9XlbIeubdop4IBNxkh.hF1j&syn-25a6b1a6=1
Thoughts on the Latest Economic News