Wrap Up for April 2026

The chickens are coming home to roost for the U.S. debt trajectory

India's services sector continues to be a strong part of its economy.

When the largest importer decided to weaponize imports, the largest exporter responded  by weaponizing exports. Yet other countries decided not to participate in the trade war.

NAFTA vulnerability was greatest in eastern portions of the U.S.

Progress in battery storage is one of the good news stories of our times.

AI may change what is deemed most useful and valuable in knowledge at a fundamental level.

Even EV production is getting stuck at the Strait of Hormuz.

Leadership has been sorely missing and could get worse.

Manufacturing jobs are not the panacea that some make them out to be.

Where has manufacturing growth taken place?

A visual for global population growth in the last 25 years.

More cities are essentially being built around the needs of the elderly.

One of the most telling trends that highlights the extreme housing shortage.

Affordability is an important factor in the elections this time around.

The Iran war will change energy markets in the years to come.

Baumol's cost disease is a big part of the explanation for today's excessive levels of solitude. 

The Fed is gradually shifting its framework towards shrinking the balance sheet.

Ukrainian drone attacks have also concentrated on a Baltic choke point.

Nursing has become a path to prosperity, yet the difficult nature of the work helps explain why.

The many benefits of green spaces.

Helium supplies have also been reduced with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Has price theory really become irrelevant? Not so fast.

Self-cleaning toilets are part of the public amenities in Paris.

Some areas along the Texas border remain determined to nix the border wall.

Both parties have lost patience with the excessively high costs of healthcare. Also, the cost shift myth has been busted.

Encouraging men to go where the jobs really are, isn't always a simple matter.

Dollar dominance is no longer as certain as it was even a few years earlier.  And one of the reasons why?There's little if any political will, to return to a path of fiscal responsibility.

The safe haven status for gold may be temporarily compromised.

How does war compare to other macroeconomic impacts? It is often the strongest and the most difficult to manage.

What makes Japan's railway companies so strong?

Most countries remain quite dependent on food sources from other countries.

The president is not the person responsible for macroeconomic outcomes.

Ryan Avent has recently published his new book, In Good Faith.

Austin is a great supply side example of what is possible with adequate housing construction.

Marcus Nunes examines different currents of thought regarding dollar dominance.

Is today's main economic problem the level of prices, or is there more to the story?

That "whiplash economy" feeling is more than just a data problem.

A visual for global production of natural gas.

There are plenty of reasons for the big drop in the crime rate.

Washington's humility certainly helped this country get off to a good start.

It remains to be seen, whether Kevin Warsh is not a problematic pick for the Fed.

Spending per student varies considerably, depending on the country.

Grid battery manufacture has been the main U.S. success story, even as EV battery capacity is further delayed.

Kevin Warsh wants to change many aspects of Fed communications. To what extent may that happen?

Not everyone is on board with his nomination.

The Iran war has essentially been a stress test for Beijing.

What are the main drivers of today's global imbalances?

Population loss is not a problem with easy answers.

English speaking countries have experienced the largest decline in well being in the last decade.

Timothy Taylor provides highlights from a recent essay by Richard Baldwin. And the trade war between the U.S. and China holds its own lessons for the Iran war.

Both parties have turned to overnight sessions just to get legislation passed.

Recommendations for books on Taiwan and US-China relations.

This year's shocks feel more serious than what occurred last year.

Housing policy logic has become more complex than ever.

How much is left after basic expenses are met? A visual for the wide divergence between states.

Is this the "end of an era" for the Fed, or only a test?

Not many states actually benefit much from global investment.

Currency swap lines may be used a bit differently this time around.

It's not just the Fed that is paralyzed by the Iran war, other central banks are as well.

Will the world be able to limit the weaponisation of shipping?

The blockade could be having its desired effect.