Wrap Up for March 2026

Axios provides details for the lead up to the Iran war.

Killing El Mencho wasn't as advantageous as it may have seemed.

A focus on the opening move over Tehran.

"Right to Build" could conceptually help cut through the problems of affordable housing. 

The "disappearing secretary" gives important clues about what AI is likely to do. Secretarial job losses didn't get the attention they deserved when they happened. I'm glad that's finally changed.

Why would Iran decide to use tactics that could end up framing it as the common enemy? Also, his hopes for an Abrahamic alliance.

What is it really like to be a parent?

How effective are fiscal rules for emerging market economies?

China's electricity advantage isn't quite as straightforward as it may seem.

It's important to not reason from a quantity change in housing.

Young workers of all educational levels are being left behind in the job market, and this is still a mystery.

There were considerable efforts to innovate building construction in the 1970s which ultimately failed.

A deeper aspect of what Operation Epic Fury may have been about.

When it comes to career opportunities, older workers have pulled ahead of younger workers.

Are others trustworthy and basically moral? Alas, people in the U.S. aren't so sure.

A visual for oil supply choke points around the world.

Sometimes, panic is actually what's needed to get things done.

How will the Fed respond to a supply side oil shock this time?

Data centers place heavy demands on local community resources, so it greatly matters how their benefits and risks are allocated. 

Mosquitoes and snakes account for the most deaths by far.

On March 9 Trump said the war would be over quickly. But Iran is thinking differently and the war has already expanded. Also, a missed opportunity seven months earlier.

The gender gap in education is stronger where economies are struggling.

Which states gained the most residents last year?

"the biggest disruption in oil market history"

A visual for Middle East oil production.

Iran at war may not really benefit Russia all that much.

Why not just shut down Iran's oil flow?

Song requests at piano bars have become quite diverse.

A visual for energy generation and consumption in the ten largest economies.

For the economy, there are more questions than answers right now.

Alas, Ray Dalio isn't very hopeful about the immediate future.

Drones have already completely changed warfare.

There's one way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that Trump hasn't been willing to consider.

Poland is scarcely the same country it was a generation ago.

What if the critics of the war are measuring the wrong things? 

Which states are the most and the least physically active?

USPS will have to address its fiscal crisis within the next year.

Are higher income levels actually more inclined to shoplift?

Robin Brooks takes a closer look at oil prices.

Oil price spikes aren't near as bad for the U.S. as was once the case.

Too many inflation factors are being ignored by the Fed right now. 

What makes the Gulf war such a consequential war?

A visual for global agricultural land.

Paul Krugman talks with Robin Brooks about the war.

The economic consequences may end up outlasting the Iran war.

Washington continues to ignore its looming fiscal crisis.

Many communities are simply not happy with the possibility of ICE detainees being held close by.

Robin Brooks discusses the recent oil shocks with Seth Hettena.

An interesting map for the timeline many homes were built across the U.S.

National healthcare spending has outpaced inflation to an unbelievable degree.

Lest anyone forget, NGDP still offers the same set of solutions that were possible all along. 

QE was supposed to be an important tool for the Fed. But in practice, it has proven difficult to reverse.

There is also a Saudi equation behind the war.

Here's why we can't have true walkable places in the U.S. Plus, a chart which helps explain why homelessness is so rampant.

Rural hospitals are not on the same page as citizens for expanding access to health care. And where exactly, is the buy in for "more creative means of access" taking place, other than in the imagination of policymakers? Meanwhile, there's been a recent slowdown in healthcare spending.

Where are the world's riskiest markets?

The war's near term effect on the economy is starting to come into view.

Happiness overall is still on the decline in the U.S.

Thankfully, many leaders around the world maintained their sanity when it comes to world trade.

Scott Sumner highlights how marginalism has evolved, and other observations regarding Tyler Cowen's new book.

"A move away from oil could be as powerful as the pressure to price it in other currencies."

Western and Sun Belt markets have experienced the greatest declines.

This war will eventually end. But plenty of patience is needed right now.

Arpit Gupta is one of many who continue to hope for a more abundant housing future.

At $5,000, batteries will be able to transform electrified transport.

When it comes to industrialization possibilities in emerging economies, services led growth is only part of the picture.

A visual for GDP growth since the turn of the century.

Those emergency oil stockpiles won't last long.

The Houthis are making a complex situation even more so.

As the giants became less predictable, other nations responded by becoming more economically reliable. Here's hoping the whole world will benefit from their restraint.