Consumer Price Index Increased 0.35 Percent in October, more than Expected, Hitting 4.02 Rate for the Year
Headline Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) increased by 0.35 percent in October and rose to 4.02 percent over the past year. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, increased 0.30 percent in October and rose to 2.81 percent over the past year. Energy price inflation increased 0.70 percent in October an...
165K Jobs Gained in October Beating Expectations, Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.1 Percent
In October, jobs increased by 165,000 jobs (+159K private sector, +6K government), blowing past expectations of 59,000. At the same time, the unemployment rate ticked down slightly from 4.2 percent to 4.1 percent, while the labor force participation rate ticked up by 0.1 percentage points to 61.9 pe...
National Debt Reaches $40.55 Trillion, Increased $2.46 Trillion Year over Year Increasing at an average rate of $4.69 Million Per Minute
As of November 4, 2026, total gross national debt is $40.55 trillion. Relative to one year ago, total gross national debt is $2.46 trillion higher; relative to five years ago, it is $11.64 trillion higher. Over the past year, the rate of increase averaged $6.75 billion per day, $281.45 million per h...
Trade Gap Decreases in September, Ends 50 Percent Above 12-Month Average
The total trade deficit in September was $105.05 billion, down from $690 million in August and 50 percent above the 12-month average. In trade of goods, the U.S. ran a trade deficit of $135.91 billion, down $716 million from August and 36 percent above the 12-month average. In trade of services, the...
Q3 GDP Increased and Better than Expected, September Inflation Up, Disposable Income Down
From August to September, headline personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index inflation was 0.49 percent. Core PCE price index inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, rose to 0.32 percent.
FY2026 Ends with $1.992 Trillion Deficit, 12.23 Percent Above FY2025, 27 Percent Not Paid by Revenues
In September, the federal government ran a deficit of $26.900 billion. For FY2026, deficits totaled $1.992 trillion, meaning 26.94 percent of outlays in FY2026 were not paid for by revenues, and for every dollar the federal government received in revenue, it spent $1.37. Compared to FY2025 when tota...
September Unemployment Fell in 17 States plus DC, Remained Unchanged in 24, Increased in 9
In September, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 18, rose in 9, and remained unchanged in 24. The highest unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in the District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate rose by 0.1 perc...
SMARTER Act Ends Mass Migration, Adopts Merit-Based System to Support American Workers and Businesses to Maintain Global Competitiveness
Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01), Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), introduced the Securing Migration, Addressing Reform, and Talent Enhancement and Retention (SMARTER) Act. The legislation reforms employment visas by implementing a points-based system that prioritizes workers who best su...
JEC Brief: Interest payments could consume 55 percent of federal receipts outside of payroll taxes by 2036
A new brief from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), titled “Federal Interest Spending Could Now Exceed Half of Available Tax Receipts in Ten Years,” highlights the growing threat rising interest rates pose to the nation's fiscal stability by consuming more than half of available federal tax receipt...
Consumer Price Index Up in September by 0.65 Percent, Hitting 3.74 Rate for the Year
Headline Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) increased by 0.65 percent in September and rose to 3.74 percent over the past year. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, increased 0.33 percent in September, higher than expected, and rose to 2.56 percent over the past year. Energy price inflation increased...