movielover said:
CapEx reportedly booming, AI and warehouses.
Dallas Forth Worth - 29 million SF under construction.
Google: "Pharmaceutical reshoring in the USA is accelerating, driven by geopolitical risks and federal efforts to secure supply chains, with over $480 billion in investments pledged by companies like Eli Lilly (investing $27B) and AstraZeneca. Key focus areas include domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), sterile injectables, and biologics, with major projects in states like Georgia and Puerto Rico."
Record oil sales: "In April 2026, U.S. crude oil exports were reported to have hit a new record of 6.44 million barrels per day for the week ending April 24."
2024: 4.1 m/bpd
THE REAL ECONOMIC PICTURE THOUGH:
Consumer Sentiment: Historic LowThe University of Michigan's final April consumer sentiment reading came in at 49.8 the lowest level ever recorded in data going back to 1952. Sentiment declined across all demographics, regardless of political affiliation, income, age, or education.
CNNTRADING ECONOMICS Tariff Costs Falling on HouseholdsThe Tax Policy Center estimates Trump's tariffs will represent an average $2,100 burden per household in 2026. The Yale Budget Lab found the tariff burden falls three times harder on families in the bottom income decile than on those at the top making it a deeply regressive tax. Businesses that previously absorbed most tariff costs are now passing them on to consumers.
RBC Wealth Management101 Financial Housing Affordability CollapsingThe average age of the first-time homebuyer hit 40 in 2025 a stark contrast from even ten years ago, when people could afford a 30-year mortgage in their early 30s. Yale Budget Lab research estimates that deficit-driven increases in interest rates have raised borrowing costs by about $2,500 per year roughly $76,000 over the life of a loan for a family taking out a 30-year mortgage at today's median home price.
FortuneThe Budget Lab at Yale Deficits & Debt: Historically DangerousThe CBO projects that factoring in the "One Big Beautiful Bill" tax cuts, higher tariffs, and the immigration crackdown, total deficits from 2026 to 2035 are $1.4 trillion larger than previously projected, with debt held by the public rising from 101% of GDP to 120% exceeding all historical highs. The deficit is 5.8% of GDP in 2026, growing to 6.7% by 2036 well above the 3.8% average of the last 50 years. Net interest payments alone are projected to rise from 14% to 19% of all federal spending by 2036.
PBSWells Fargo Advisors Consumer Debt at Record LevelsTotal U.S. credit card debt has surpassed $1.3 trillion the highest ever recorded with roughly 50% of Americans carrying revolving balances month to month, at an average credit card interest rate of 23.7%.
101 Financial Inflation Expectations SurgingYear-ahead inflation expectations jumped to 4.8% in April a full percentage point rise from March, the largest one-month increase since April 2025 when the "Liberation Day" tariff announcement was made.
CNBC Labor Market: Weakest Since 2020Job growth in 2025 was the weakest since 2020. The U.S. is in a low-hire, low-fire labor market workers enjoy strong job security, but the hiring rate is very low, making life difficult for job seekers, particularly younger workers and entry-level applicants.
The National Desk The Broader CritiqueMoody's chief economist Mark Zandi has noted that the economy is essentially only growing because of consumer spending by the wealthy and massive data-center investment from big tech hyperscalers while most Americans remain on the sidelines and have effectively been experiencing a recession. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has called the tax cuts a "sugar high," and the Bipartisan Policy Center has called large deficits "unprecedented for a growing, peacetime economy."
FortuneAl JazeeraThe honest picture is a two-track economy: strong at the top (AI investment, corporate profits, asset prices) and under real strain at the bottom (affordability, sentiment, debt, hiring). That tension is the central economic story of 2026.
