Commentary

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 13 hours ago

We kid you not: Home Depot has released its Halfway to Halloween collection with 14 exclusive items, including a 5-foot hearse carriage and an 8.5-foot skeleton horse. The collection is available while supplies last. https://buff.ly/f93OwtR

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 15 hours ago

The impact of last year's government shutdown created numerous ripple effects, some immediately apparent and others with a delayed effect. A new FRB Atlanta post looks at the quality of survey data used in assessing the health of the labor market. https://buff.ly/cWEI2EM

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 15 hours ago

Data through 2025 reveals that manufacturing jobs growth over the past six years has been highly concentrated. Over four-fifths of this employment growth has occurred in just 354 out of 3,143 counties. These high-growth counties accounted for around a quarter of 2019 U.S. employment in the sector. https://buff.ly/gXAvJKW

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 18 hours ago

The Atlanta Fed’s Wage Growth Tracker edged up to 3.9 percent in March from 3.7 percent the prior month. For those not changing jobs and for those changing jobs, the Tracker also edged up in March, to 3.8 percent and 5.0 percent, respectively. https://buff.ly/ZhNubXl

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 20 hours ago

Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released the December 2025 Monthly State Retail Sales Report (MSRS). The MSRS report combines data from Monthly Retail Trade Survey data, administrative data, and third-party data. https://buff.ly/Rp5eTFm

WWU Center for Economic and Business Research️ 22 hours ago

Consumer prices posted their biggest monthly gain since 2022 in March, rising 0.9 percent from February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On an annualized basis, prices rose 3.3 percent, up sharply from 2.4 percent the month before and the highest level since May 2024 on a yearly basis. https://buff.ly/UU8JeFd A handful of thoughts: 1) this is not surprising, 2) recall that CPI is a fixed basket of goods that does not allow price shopping and may not reflect your spending at all, 3) the real risk is how sticky this is -- how baked in do higher prices get into items such as food.