Let's Track the Economy (with objective empirical data?)

Inflation jumps to its highest level in three years​

The war has ratcheted up prices for gasoline, airfares and other expenses.

As recently as February, inflation stood at 2.4%, clocking in just a tick above the Federal Reserve’s target level of 2%.

wing2000 said:

"The Producer Price Index, a measure of prices paid to wholesalers, came in fiery hot, rising 0.9% in July — the biggest gain in three years. For context, economists expected a mere 0.2% monthly increase, following a flat reading in June."

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By the numbers: The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 1.4% in April alone, and is up 6% over the last 12 months.

This gives us a hint of what Consumer Prices are going to look like soon.

This Midwestern state leads the nation in home foreclosures as US filings jump by 26%​

Foreclosure filings are hitting red states the hardest among the 118,727 properties affected in the first quarter of 2026​

Home foreclosures in the U.S. are up 26% from last year as inflation rates and rising costs are catching up with homeowners.

Indiana was hit hardest and logged one foreclosure filing for every 739 housing units in the first quarter of 2026, according to findings from property data firm ATTOM. This is nearly two-thirds higher than the nationwide rate of one in every 1,211 house facing foreclosure in that same period. [#2 and #3 were South Carolina and Florida] Blue states like Delaware and Illinois are also facing high foreclosure rates

The latest data released in April shows that red states are being hit the hardest by the sweeping affordability crisis — and with the 2026 midterm elections approaching, economic woes are at the top of mind for many voters and policymakers.

Key inflation gauge worsens as Americans shell out more for gasoline​

Inflation jumped to 3.8% in April compared with a year ago, the Commerce Department said Thursday, up from 3.5% in March and the highest since May 2023.

US jobless claims rise to 215,000 but layoffs remain low despite Iran war uncertainty​

The total number of people collecting jobless aid rose by 15,000 to 1.79 million the week that ended May 16.

Even Trump says he doesn’t know where his own false claim about Black unemployment came from​

"And we've also had huge drops in — and I'll tell you, this is something that's amazing: African American unemployment is now doing better than it's ever done. And I don't know where that stat came from, but I'll take it," he said.

The mystery "stat" isn't true.

The most recent unemployment rate for Black or African Americans was 6.6% in May, federal statistics show (all unemployment figures in this article are seasonally adjusted). That's an improvement from the previous rate, 7.3% in April, and from its highest rate during Trump's second term, 8.2% last November — but it's not close to a record low.

It's actually higher than the rate Trump inherited when he returned to office.

The Black or African American unemployment rate was 6.2% in January 2025, the month of his second inauguration, and 6.1% in December 2024, former President Joe Biden's last full month in office. In fact, the 6.6% rate last month is higher than the rate in each of the last 34 full months of the Biden administration, from March 2022 through December 2024.

The triumph of Bidenomics!