What Happened With the Economy?

Every summary we've sent on the Economy since January 1, 2025, newest first, each linked to its source. Each brief goes up here 14 days after our readers get it by text the morning it happens. Get today's brief here.

The Latest on the Economy

Monday, October 5, 2026

Full Brief
  1. 6

    US economy adds +29K jobs in Sep with unemployment at 4.2% (vs 4.1% in Aug); Share of Americans working/seeking work rises to 61.8% (vs 61.6%) as labor force grows to 170.3M (vs 169.8M)

Every Summary on the Economy

October 20262 Summaries

  1. Monday, October 5, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      US economy adds +29K jobs in Sep with unemployment at 4.2% (vs 4.1% in Aug); Share of Americans working/seeking work rises to 61.8% (vs 61.6%) as labor force grows to 170.3M (vs 169.8M)

  2. Thursday, October 1, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Economic Analysis Bureau: US economy grows 2.2% annualized in Q2 (vs 2.5% in Q1) driven by +3.8% rise in consumer spending, +9% business investment & +5% exports

September 20261 Summary

  1. Wednesday, September 30, 2026Full Brief
    1. 1

      US consumer confidence falls to 81.9 in Sep (vs 88.6 Aug, lowest since Apr 2014) as households grow "more pessimistic" about jobs & business conditions

August 20263 Summaries

  1. Thursday, August 27, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Economic Analysis Bureau: US economy grows 1.5% in Q2 (vs 2.1% in Q1) driven by consumer spending (+3.4%), exports (+4.5%) & investment (+3%) partly offset by -0.8% decrease in government spending

  2. Wednesday, August 26, 2026Full Brief
    1. 2

      US consumer confidence falls for 2nd consecutive month to 7mo low of 89.4 in Aug (vs 90.2 in Jul) as consumers grow more pessimistic about business conditions & jobs over next 6mo

  3. Tuesday, August 25, 2026Full Brief
    1. 2

      US formally removes Syria from State Sponsors of Terrorism list after 47yrs; State Dept says move removes "final major barriers to private investment & Syria's economic reintegration into global economy"

July 20266 Summaries

  1. Friday, July 31, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Economic Analysis Bureau: US economy grows 1.5% in Q2 (vs 2.1% in Q1) as consumer spending rises +3.2%, investment +3% & exports +4.5%; Government spending declines -0.8% & imports rise +11.5%, offsetting growth

  2. Wednesday, July 29, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      US consumer confidence falls to 90.8 in Jul (vs 92.2 in Jun) amid "weaker assessments of business & labor market conditions"

  3. Tuesday, July 21, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      India launches 1st privately developed orbital rocket, becoming 3rd country after US & China to achieve milestone; Government targets $44B space economy by 2033

  4. Thursday, July 16, 2026Full Brief
    1. 2

      China's economy grows +4.3% annually in Q2 (slowest pace since Q4 2022) as weak domestic demand (retail sales +1.3%) contrasts with strong export growth (+13.4%)

  5. Tuesday, July 14, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      EU expands Sudan sanctions by banning Sudanese gold imports & exports of gold-mining chemicals, targeting financing for Sudan's "war economy"; Civil war has displaced 11M+ people since Apr 2023

  6. Tuesday, July 7, 2026Full Brief
    1. 2

      Treasury Dept launches "Trump Accounts" program providing eligible US-born children $1K in US stock index funds (withdrawable at age 18) to "give every child a stake in American economy from day 1"

June 20262 Summaries

  1. Monday, June 22, 2026Full Brief
    1. 3

      Pew Research: US total fertility rate falls to record-low 1.60 children per woman in 2024, continuing decline since 2007-09 recession amid "delayed fertility, changing norms & economic factors"

  2. Wednesday, June 10, 2026Full Brief
    1. 1

      Economics & Peace Institute: Global peace hits lowest level in 20yr index history with 99 countries recording declines in 2025; Violence costs reach record $21.8T (10.5% of global GDP) as drone attacks rise 11.5K% since 2018

May 20264 Summaries

  1. Thursday, May 28, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      UK imposes 18 sanctions on Kremlin-backed "A7" crypto network accused of "using Kyrgyzstan's financial system to evade sanctions & move $90B through Russia's war economy"

  2. Wednesday, May 27, 2026Full Brief
    1. 2

      US consumer confidence falls to 93.1 (vs 93.8 in Apr) 1st decline in 4mo as consumers cite rising prices, oil shocks & Middle East conflict concerns

  3. Tuesday, May 12, 2026Full Brief
    1. 3

      US consumer confidence in insurance firms (record-low), Fed Reserve & commercial banks fall in 2026 with 55% "less confident" amid inflation concerns, rising insurance costs & Fed independence threats

  4. Friday, May 1, 2026Full Brief
    1. 1

      Economic Analysis Bureau: US economy grows +2% in Q1 2026 (vs +0.5% in Q4) driven by AI-linked investment, exports (+12.9%), consumer & government spending; Imports surge +21.4% partially offsetting growth

April 20263 Summaries

  1. Friday, April 24, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      EU imposes 20th sanctions package on Russia to "further cripple its economy & war machine", adding 120 individuals & entities in largest listings package in 2yrs "targeting Russia's oil revenues, financial sector & crypto"

  2. Friday, April 17, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Australia unveils $425B 10yr defense plan amid "deteriorating strategic environment"; Largest peacetime defense spending increase in nation's history targets 3% of GDP by 2033

  3. Wednesday, April 1, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      China launches World Data Organization with 200+ members across 40+ countries spanning firms, universities & institutions to "advance data governance & digital economy cooperation"

March 20262 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, March 25, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      FCC bans new approvals for foreign-made consumer routers after finding "supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt economy, critical infrastructure, national defense & pose severe cybersecurity risk"

  2. Friday, March 6, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      China sets 2026 economy growth (measured by GDP) target at 4.5-5%, lowest since 1991; Beijing also targets 5.5% urban unemployment, 12M+ new jobs & 2% inflation

February 20264 Summaries

  1. Thursday, February 26, 2026Full Brief
    1. 1

      Trump delivers record-long 108min State of the Union address (vs Clinton's 88mins in 2000) calling economy "roaring," border "most secure in history" & declaring US entering new "golden age"

  2. Wednesday, February 25, 2026Full Brief
    1. 1

      US consumer confidence rises to 91.2 in Feb (vs 89 in Jan) as outlook improves despite persistent pessimism over prices, inflation, tariffs & politics

  3. Monday, February 23, 2026Full Brief
    1. 3

      Economic Analysis Bureau: US economy grows 1.4% in Q4 (vs 4.4% in Q3) driven by consumer spending (+2.4%) & investment (+2.6%) rise; Government spending (-4.7%) & exports (-2.1%) decline

  4. Tuesday, February 3, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      Singapore establishes National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) to "lead Singapore's efforts to fully harness value, opportunities of growing global space economy"

January 20263 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, January 28, 2026Full Brief
    1. 3

      US consumer confidence falls to 84.5 in Jan (lowest since 2014, surpassing 85.7 pandemic depths in 2020) as inflation, prices, politics, tariffs, labor worries weigh on outlook

  2. Monday, January 26, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Criminal Justice Council study: US crime rates fell in 2025, with alcohol/substance decline, cashless economy, reduced street drug markets & increased time at home as factors; Homicide rate fell -21%, gun assaults -22%, robbery -23%, carjacking -43%, motor vehicle theft -27%

  3. Monday, January 12, 2026Full Brief
    1. 2

      Labor Statistics Dept: US adds 50K jobs in Dec; Unemployment steady at 4.4% while wage growth rises +3.8% annually amid weakest non-recession hiring year since 2003

December 20252 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, December 24, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Economic Analysis Bureau: US economy grows 4.3% in Q3 (vs 3.8% in Q2), highest in 2yrs, driven by +3.5% consumer spending rise & +5.4% AI investment growth

    2. 2

      US consumer confidence falls to 89.1 in Dec (5th straight monthly decline, lowest since 85.7 tariff rollout-driven low in Apr) as inflation, tariffs & job worries weigh on outlook

November 20253 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, November 26, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      US consumer confidence falls to 88.7 in Nov (vs 95.5 in Oct), lowest since Apr amid weaker views on jobs, incomes & financial outlook

  2. Monday, November 24, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      G20 summit in Johannesburg (19 countries & 2 regional bodies representing 85% of global GDP) adopts 122-point declaration on debt relief, disaster response, UN Security Council reform & Africa's energy access

  3. Wednesday, November 19, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      International Education Institute: New international student enrollment in US universities drops to 230K (-17% vs 277K in 2024) amid visa delays & denials; Commerce Dept: Foreign students make up ~6% of total US enrollment & contributed $55B to economy in 2024

October 20253 Summaries

  1. Monday, October 27, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      East Timor becomes ASEAN's 11th member after 14yr application, bringing Asia's youngest nation (1.4M population, $2B economy) into bloc

  2. Tuesday, October 21, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      China's economy (measured by GDP) grows +4.8% year-over-year in Q3 (slowest in 1yr) as fixed-asset investment (real estate, infrastructure & manufacturing) contracts -0.5% for 1st time since 2020

  3. Wednesday, October 1, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      US consumer confidence index falls to 94.2 in Sep (vs 97.8 in Aug), lowest since Apr, on labor market worries as job availability hits multi-year low

September 20253 Summaries

  1. Friday, September 26, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Economic Analysis Bureau revision report: US economy grows 3.8% in Q2 (vs 3.3% estimate) with growth lifted by stronger consumer spending (+2.5%) & -29.3% drop in imports

  2. Friday, September 19, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      IMF data: Global debt stayed above 235% of world GDP at $251T in 2024 as private lending fell to 143% (lowest since 2015); Public debt dipped to 93% (vs 94% in 2023) but remained above pre-pandemic 84% in 2019

  3. Monday, September 8, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      US adds 22K jobs in Aug (vs 79K Jul), jobless rate rises to 4.3% (highest since 2021) as hiring slows amid Trump tariff uncertainty; Economy averages 75K monthly job growth in 2025 (vs 168K in 2024)

August 20254 Summaries

  1. Friday, August 29, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Economic Analysis Bureau: US economy grows 3.3% in Q2 (vs 3% estimates) after -0.5% Q1 contraction from import surge ahead of Trump's tariffs; Imports fall 29.8%, boosting GDP as businesses reverse stockpiling; Private investment drops 13.8% (biggest decline since 2020)

  2. Friday, August 15, 2025Full Brief
    1. 6

      UK economy (measured by GDP) grows 0.3% in Q2 2025 (vs 0.7% in Q1) driven by rise in services (+0.4%) & construction (+1.2%) while production falls (-0.3%)

  3. Monday, August 11, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Bank of England cuts key interest rates from 4.25% to 4% (5th cut since Aug 2024) in historic split requiring 2nd vote (1st time since 1997) amid high inflation, rising unemployment & declining economy

  4. Wednesday, August 6, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      AP-NORC research: 36% of young adults (18-29yo) say voting is very important vs 68% of older adults (60yo+); 34% of young adults don't follow US politics closely; Economy tops young adult issues followed by healthcare, taxes & natural disasters

July 20256 Summaries

  1. Thursday, July 31, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Economic Analysis Bureau: 2nd quarter US GDP grew 3% (vs -0.5% previous quarter) in economic turnaround, driven by -30% import decline (vs +38% Q1 due to tariff front-loading) & +1.4% consumer spend rise (vs +0.5% Q1)

  2. Friday, July 25, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      India (world's 5th largest economy) & UK (6th largest) sign bilateral free trade deal (UK's biggest post-Brexit) after 3.5yrs of negotiation; India's tariff on UK down to 3% from 15% (whisky down to 70% from 150%), UK's tariffs on 99% of India's goods at 0%

    2. 6

      European Central Bank holds interest rates steady (2%) after 8 cuts since Jun 2024; ECB President Lagarde claims economy in "good place"

  3. Wednesday, July 23, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      US & Japan sign trade deal, lowering US tariffs on Japan to 15% (vs threatened 25%); Per deal, Japan will invest $550B in US economy; 2024 US-Japan trade totaled $230B with US in $70B deficit; Japan is 5th-largest US trading partner in goods

  4. Monday, July 21, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Pew Research: Attitudes toward China improve in 15 of 25 countries surveyed with 36% holding favorable views, marking 1st upturn since 25% in 2020; 41% see China as world's top economy yet nearly all prioritize economic ties with US vs China

  5. Wednesday, July 16, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      China's economy grows 5.2% in Q2 (vs 4.7% 2024 & 5.1% forecast) despite Trump's threatened 145% tariffs (starting Aug 12) & real estate market decline (new home prices fall at fastest pace in 8mo); Manufacturing up 6.4% (vs 4.8% 2024)

June 20258 Summaries

  1. Friday, June 27, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Economic Analysis Bureau: 1st quarter 2025 GDP shrunk -0.5% (vs +2.4% previous quarter) in US economy's 1st contraction in 3yrs, driven by import surge due to tariff anticipation & pared consumer spend

  2. Wednesday, June 25, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      US consumer confidence drops in Jun vs economist expectations, driven by tariff, job, personal finance concerns; Greatest decline among Republicans

  3. Monday, June 23, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      NATO members increase national defense spend requirement to 5% of GDP by 2035; Deal comes after holdout Spain was granted exemption; Average 2024 member spend is 2.7%; 8 of 32 fail to meet current 2% target

  4. Wednesday, June 11, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      World Bank downgrades 2025 global economic (GDP) growth forecast to 2.3% (vs 2.8% in 2024 & vs 2.7% in pre-tariff forecast) & global trade growth to 1.8% (vs 3.4% in 2024); Growth forecasts reduced for 70% of countries; Global recession remains unlikely (<10% chance)

  5. Monday, June 9, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      US economy adds 139K jobs in May (vs 125K expectations & vs 147K in Apr); Unemployment rate persists (4.2%)

  6. Friday, June 6, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      CBO estimates Trump's tariff regime (if kept permanently) would cut deficit by -$2.8T in 10yrs but downsize economy

  7. Wednesday, June 4, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      AP NORC research: 65% of US adults want to limit their consumption of news on politics, 51% on overseas conflict, 45% on economy & jobs, 42% on climate change, citing information overload & fatigue

  8. Tuesday, June 3, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      OECD downgrades US 2025 growth outlook from 2.2% (Mar estimate) to 1.6%, citing "trade policy uncertainty"; Global GDP growth to slow from 3.3% to 2.9% in 2025 & 2026

May 20257 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, May 28, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      US consumer confidence rebounds in May in response to easing trade war after 5mo of declines

  2. Tuesday, May 20, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      UK & EU agree to closer cooperation & integration deals in 1st summit since 2020 Brexit, including: UK accesses EU airport e-gates (like EU citizens) & rejoins EU's electricity market while EU accesses British fishing waters until 2038 & reduces agrifood regulation, which may add $9B to UK economy & lower food prices

  3. Monday, May 19, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Moody's downgrades US debt rating to Aa1 from AAA (perfect score in place since 1917), citing rising deficit (6.4% of 2024 GDP to 9% 2035) & debt (98% of 2024 GDP to 134% 2035); Moody's is last of 3 major credit raters to mark down US debt: Fitch downgraded in 2023 & S&P in 2011

  4. Friday, May 16, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      UK economy (measured by GDP) grows +0.7% in Q1 (vs +0.6% estimate), fastest growth rate in a year & top among G7 countries

  5. Friday, May 9, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      US & China start 1st talks in trade war in Switzerland this weekend; Trump proposes de-escalating China's tariff from 145% to 80% (vs China's 125% retaliatory tariff); China is world's largest exporter & 2nd largest economy

  6. Monday, May 5, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      US economy adds 177k jobs in Apr (vs 133k estimate & 185k in Mar); Unemployment rate remains at 4.2%

  7. Thursday, May 1, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      US economy contracts (-0.3% annually) in Q1 (vs +2.4% in Q4 2024) for 1st time in 3yrs, driven by import surge & government spend drop

April 20257 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, April 30, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      US consumer confidence falls for 5th month, hitting lowest level since May 2020; "Expectations for future" hit 13yr low

  2. Monday, April 28, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      IMF & BEA research: California overtakes Japan ($4T nominal GDP) to become 4th largest global economy ($4.1T) behind US ($29T), China ($18T) & Germany ($4.7T)

  3. Thursday, April 24, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      S Korea’s export-dependent economy unexpectedly shrinks in 1st quarter (-0.2% vs +0.1% last quarter) in early casualty of Trump's tariffs

  4. Tuesday, April 22, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      IMF cuts 2025 global GDP forecast from 3.3% to 2.8% (vs 3.3% in 2024) & US GDP forecast from 2.7% to 1.8% (vs 2.8% in 2024), citing global trade tensions

  5. Wednesday, April 16, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      California (US' largest economy) sues Trump, challenging his unilateral authority to impose sweeping tariffs without congressional approval or direct foreign threats

  6. Monday, April 14, 2025Full Brief
    1. 7

      CBS & YouGov research: 53% of 2.4K surveyed Americans expect economy to be slowing (20%) or in recession (33%) this year

  7. Monday, April 7, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      US economy adds 228K jobs in Mar, above 140K estimates & 117K in Feb; Unemployment up to 4.2% (vs 4.1% in Feb) & annual wage growth down to 3.8% (vs 4% in Feb)

March 20257 Summaries

  1. Friday, March 28, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Spain's economy grew 3.2% in 2024 (vs 2.7% in 2023), meaningfully outpacing eurozone peers France (1%), Italy (1%) & Germany (-0.2%)

  2. Monday, March 24, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Germany approves historic $1T spend package focused on defense, infrastructure & Ukraine aid, lifting longtime "debt brake" law that limits military spend to <1% of GDP

    2. 5

      UAE pledges $1.4T investment in US over next 10yrs, seeking to diversify its oil economy toward AI infrastructure, semiconductors, manufacturing & other energy

  3. Tuesday, March 11, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      US stock markets fell sharply on Mon amid ongoing trade war uncertainty & Trump not ruling out recession; S&P 500 -2.7%, Dow -2.1%, Nasdaq Comp -4%

  4. Monday, March 10, 2025Full Brief
    1. 8

      US economy adds 151k jobs in Feb (vs 170k estimate), unemployment rises to 4.1% & annual wage growth drops to 4%

  5. Thursday, March 6, 2025Full Brief
    1. 6

      China reiterates 2025 GDP growth target of ~5% while bracing for uncertainty "unseen in century"; US grew 2.8% in 2024

  6. Wednesday, March 5, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Germany's incoming coalition government weighs lifting debt brake & increasing spend to 1%+ of GDP for defense; Commits $533B to renewing national infrastructure

February 20253 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, February 26, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Consumer confidence declines consecutively for 3mo, registering largest monthly decline (-6.6%) since Aug 2021 & hitting 3yr low

  2. Tuesday, February 18, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Germany to hold snap elections on Sun, as EU's largest economy struggles with economic growth & immigration reform; Center-right Friedrich Merz (Christian Democrats party) favored among 5 chancellor candidates

  3. Friday, February 7, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      US economy adds 143k jobs in Jan below 169k estimates & down from 307k in Dec; Unemployment decreases to 4.0%; Annual wage growth rises to 4.1%

January 20255 Summaries

  1. Thursday, January 30, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      US economy measured by GDP grew at 2.3% in Q4 vs. 2.5% expectations & 3.1% growth in Q3; Overall 2024 growth was 2.8% vs. 2.9% in 2023

  2. Friday, January 17, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      China's economy measured by GDP grew 5% in 2024 meeting its growth target but showing a continuous decline since peak growth in 2007

  3. Friday, January 10, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      US economy added 256k jobs in Dec, beating 155k estimate, & up from 212k last month; Unemployment rate is down to 4.1%

  4. Tuesday, January 7, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Indonesia (4th most populous nation) formally joins BRICS; This bloc of emerging economies previously represented 45% of global population & 35% of GDP before recent additions of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia & UAE

  5. Wednesday, January 1, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Worldwide GDP forecasted to expand 2.7% in 2025; US to grow 2.5%, Euro 0.8%, China 4.5%

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