Inflation eased in January, but risks of higher prices may linger
Prices on imported goods appear to be on the upswing again
A cooler-than-expected consumer price index (CPI) report offered markets a welcome surprise last week.
January hints at a rebound, but the labor market remains moribund
Relatively stable layoff rates contrast with a slowdown in hiring
A handful of high-profile corporate layoffs and anxiety surrounding advances in artificial intelligence have led to gloomy headlines about the state of the American job market.
US population growth tumbles after post-pandemic surge
Some states still grow, but more slowly than before
The United States population is growing at its slowest rate since the height of the coronavirus pandemic, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Nation-leading rent growth helps lure retail investors back to Charlotte
REITs and institutional investors drive increase in deal volume in North Carolina city
Nation-leading rent growth, limited available space and a growing population are drawing big retail investors back to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Consumer spending is resilient, but depends on savings to pay for it
Rate of personal savings falls to three-year low
Consumers maintained robust spending in late 2025, according to new Bureau of Economic Analysis data released last week that had been delayed by the federal government shutdown.
Core office investors return to Charlotte as trophy market tightens
Office investment demand no longer defined by distress
After a period on the sidelines, institutional investors and real estate investment trusts are jumping back into the Charlotte, North Carolina, office market with an eye on the Que...
Largest properties drive Charlotte's industrial sales surge
Big-box tenants bring institutional buyers back to market
Industrial real estate displaced multifamily as the property type with the highest sales volume in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2025, with the largest properties driving the surge...
Multifamily investors optimistic, but cautious, in Charlotte
Rent losses slow sales volume, but tightening supply pipeline raises hope for recovery
Multifamily investors are approaching Charlotte, North Carolina, with cautious optimism in 2026, despite an increase in multifamily supply diluting property values.
Wealth effects support spending even as the job market cools
High asset prices provide lift to broader economy
American shoppers continued to spend during the 2025 holiday season, defying a slowing job market, recently released retail sales data from the U.S. Census Bureau show.
Bounceback in Charlotte commercial real estate sales expected to continue in 2026
Population growth, slowing construction and stabilizing interest rates are driving deals
Stabilizing capital costs, slowing construction and confidence in the Charlotte area's long-term growth prospects brought institutional investors back to North Carolina's largest c...
Capital investment and productivity drive the disconnect between jobs and GDP growth
Divergence likely to be more pronounced in tech regions
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported a headline-grabbing 4.9% annualized increase in labor productivity for the third quarter of 2025, a figure notable for its broader ...
AI build-out dominates uneven manufacturing sector
Markets connected to tech-related manufacturing likely to see faster economic growth
American manufacturing ended 2025 with its 10th consecutive month of contraction, according to the Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Managers Index for December.
What’s in store for 2026? Broad themes emerge.
Consumer spending, business investment should remain healthy
As 2025 comes to a close, economists are considering the themes that are likely to prevail in 2026. Here are a few of them.
Here are the best-performing retail markets of 2025
Sun Belt cities shine as Charlotte, straddling the Carolinas, jumps to first from sixth place
U.S. retail real estate delivered another year of resilience in 2025, marked by a steady balance between supply and demand, despite pressure from increased store closings.
Surveys show employment remains at risk as trade uncertainty and higher costs persist
Pace of US economic expansion slows, new data shows
Economic activity continued to diverge in November. While the services sector stabilized due to continued consumer spending, business conditions in the manufacturing sector deterio...
Larger tenants drive industrial leasing in Charlotte, marking reversal from years past
As companies take big-box spaces, consolidations weigh on older, midsize buildings
Industrial leasing in Charlotte, North Carolina, is on track to hit a nearly three-year high, though it's the market's largest properties that are largely benefiting from the incre...
Delayed data show shoppers were cautious going into the holiday season
Consumers offered mixed signals about their willingness to spend
American consumers entered the peak of the holiday shopping season offering a basket of mixed signals.
Optimism takes a hit as small businesses navigate elevated uncertainty
Many cite growing labor and sales concerns
Small business owners became a little less optimistic in October, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’s monthly survey, as uncertainty over business condit...
Finance sector deals propel Charlotte to tops in nation for high-end office leasing
Market's high-end inventory tightens at nation-leading pace
Charlotte, North Carolina, has seen more high-end office space leased as a share of inventory than anywhere else in the country, following a surge in deals by financial services co...
Lowered expectations: Younger consumers turn more pessimistic about the future
Housing cost concerns, rising unemployment and growing debt cloud their outlook
Bifurcation has become a buzzword in the post-COVID consumer economy.