Economic Intelligence Blog
Data-driven analysis of economic indicators, Fed policy, labor markets, and business strategy. Written for executives who make decisions with data.
February 11, 2026
The Economic Impact of AI: What the Data Shows So Far
Productivity gains, labor displacement, and capital investment patterns from AI adoption — what FRED and BLS data reveal about the real economic effects.
January 7, 2026
Capital Expenditure Planning: Using Economic Data for Investment Decisions
How to use GDP growth, capacity utilization, and credit conditions data to time capital expenditure decisions and build data-driven investment cases.
January 3, 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate: The Hidden Employment Metric
Why the unemployment rate alone misleads — how the labor force participation rate reveals the true state of the American workforce.
January 12, 2026
Regional Economic Differences: How the Economy Varies by State
GDP growth, unemployment, and wage data reveal starkly different economic realities across US states — what executives need to know for expansion planning.
January 20, 2026
Inflation-Adjusted Revenue: Measuring Real Business Growth
How to deflate revenue with CPI and PCE data to separate real growth from inflation-driven increases — essential for honest performance measurement.
January 29, 2026
The Fed Balance Sheet Explained: Quantitative Tightening Effects
How the Federal Reserve's $7 trillion balance sheet and quantitative tightening affect liquidity, interest rates, and business borrowing costs.
February 6, 2026
Construction Spending Trends: Infrastructure and Development Data
Census Bureau construction spending data reveals where capital is flowing — residential, commercial, and public infrastructure investment patterns.
February 14, 2026
Bank Lending Conditions: Credit Availability for Businesses
The Fed's Senior Loan Officer Survey reveals tightening or easing credit conditions — what it means for your business borrowing strategy.
February 22, 2026
Productivity Growth Data: Why Output Per Worker Matters
BLS productivity data shows whether economic growth comes from working harder or working smarter — and what it means for wages and profits.
March 1, 2026
Fiscal Policy and Business: How Government Spending Affects Growth
Federal spending, tax policy, and deficit data from Treasury and BEA — how fiscal decisions ripple through GDP, interest rates, and corporate earnings.
March 8, 2026
Durable Goods Orders: The Forward-Looking Manufacturing Indicator
Census Bureau durable goods data is one of the earliest signals of business investment intentions — how to read it and what it predicts.
March 15, 2026
Job Openings and JOLTS Data: Reading the Labor Market
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey reveals hiring demand, quit rates, and labor market tightness beyond the monthly jobs report.
March 22, 2026
The Fed Beige Book Explained: Real-World Economic Intelligence
The Federal Reserve's Beige Book provides qualitative economic intelligence from 12 districts — how executives can use it for strategic planning.
March 28, 2026
How Accurate Are Economic Forecasts? A Historical Analysis
Historical accuracy of GDP, inflation, and unemployment forecasts from the Fed, CBO, and private economists — what you can and cannot trust.
December 18, 2025
Debt Ceiling Crises: What They Mean for Markets and Business
How debt ceiling standoffs affect Treasury markets, government contracts, and business confidence — historical data and scenario planning.
December 10, 2025
Using the Economic Calendar for Strategic Business Planning
How to use the economic release calendar to anticipate market moves, time announcements, and build data-driven planning cycles.
December 1, 2025
Dollar Strength and Your Business: Currency Effects on Trade
How the DXY dollar index affects import costs, export competitiveness, and foreign revenue — data-driven currency risk analysis for executives.
November 9, 2025
Money Supply Explained: M1, M2, and What They Mean
FRED money supply data demystified — how M1, M2, and velocity of money affect inflation, lending, and economic growth.
November 22, 2025
Interest Rate Sensitivity: Which Industries Get Hit Hardest
FRED and BEA data reveal which sectors are most and least sensitive to rate changes — essential intelligence for portfolio and operational planning.
November 14, 2025
Retail Sales Data: What Monthly Reports Tell You About the Economy
Census Bureau retail sales reports are a real-time pulse on consumer demand — how to read them and what they signal for business planning.
November 5, 2025
Business Investment Trends: Where Capital Is Flowing
BEA gross private domestic investment data shows where businesses are deploying capital — equipment, IP, structures, and inventories.
December 5, 2025
Producer Price Index: The Inflation Measure Upstream from CPI
BLS Producer Price Index data tracks inflation at the wholesale level — an early warning system for consumer price changes and margin pressure.
October 28, 2025
Supply Chain Indicators: Measuring Disruption and Recovery
ISM delivery times, inventories-to-sales ratios, and freight indices — the data points that reveal supply chain health and disruption risk.
October 19, 2025
Consumer Spending Patterns: Where Americans Put Their Money
BEA personal consumption expenditure data reveals shifting spending priorities — goods vs services, discretionary vs essential, and demographic trends.
October 11, 2025
Oil Prices and the Economy: The Upstream Effects on Every Industry
FRED energy price data and historical analysis show how oil price movements ripple through transportation, manufacturing, and consumer costs.
October 6, 2025
ISM Services Index: Tracking the Service Economy
The ISM Services PMI covers 80% of GDP — how to read this indicator and what it reveals about the dominant sector of the American economy.
October 2, 2025
Commercial Real Estate Outlook: Office, Retail, and Industrial
FRED commercial property data, vacancy rates, and lending conditions — what the data says about office, retail, and industrial real estate.
September 23, 2025
Earnings Season Guide: What to Watch and Why It Matters
How to use earnings season data alongside macro indicators — revenue trends, margin analysis, and forward guidance as economic intelligence.
September 10, 2025
Employment Cost Index: Total Compensation Beyond Wages
BLS Employment Cost Index captures wages plus benefits — why this broader measure matters more than hourly earnings for understanding labor costs.
September 15, 2025
The Trade Deficit: How It Affects American Businesses
Census trade balance data shows the flow of goods and services — what growing or shrinking deficits mean for domestic industries and currency.
September 6, 2025
Wage Growth Trends: What Rising Labor Costs Mean for Margins
BLS wage data reveals whether labor cost inflation is accelerating or decelerating — critical intelligence for hiring budgets and pricing strategy.
August 29, 2025
Manufacturing PMI Explained: Reading the Factory Pulse
The ISM Manufacturing PMI is a leading economic indicator — how to interpret its five components and what they predict about economic direction.
August 7, 2025
Venture Capital Trends: Where VC Money Is Going
Venture capital investment data reveals where smart money sees growth — sector trends, deal sizes, and what it signals about economic confidence.
August 21, 2025
Small Business Economic Outlook: Key Indicators for SMBs
NFIB optimism data and FRED small business lending metrics — the indicators that matter most for small and mid-sized business planning.
August 13, 2025
What Treasury Yields Mean for Business Borrowing Costs
FRED Treasury yield data drives corporate bond rates, mortgage rates, and credit availability — how to track yields and anticipate borrowing cost changes.
August 4, 2025
Reading the Monthly Jobs Report: An Executive's Guide
Beyond the headline number — how to read nonfarm payrolls, revisions, sector breakdowns, and hours worked for real business intelligence.
July 3, 2025
Profit Margin Benchmarks by Industry: 2025 Data
BEA corporate profits and Census data reveal median profit margins across industries — benchmark your performance against sector peers.
July 25, 2025
CPI vs PCE: Two Inflation Measures Every Executive Should Know
BLS CPI and BEA PCE measure inflation differently — understanding both helps executives interpret Fed policy and plan pricing strategy.
July 17, 2025
How Economic Data Moves the Stock Market
Historical correlation data between economic releases and market reactions — which indicators move markets most and how to position around them.
July 8, 2025
10 Leading Economic Indicators for Business Planning
The Conference Board LEI and its components — ten forward-looking metrics that signal economic turns before they show up in GDP data.
June 30, 2025
Consumer Confidence Index: What It Tells You About Spending
Conference Board and Michigan sentiment surveys measure consumer willingness to spend — how these leading indicators predict retail and housing demand.
June 9, 2025
Business Cycle Stages: Where Are We Now and What Comes Next
NBER business cycle data, yield curves, and leading indicators — how to identify expansion, peak, contraction, and trough phases in real time.
June 22, 2025
Housing Market Indicators Every Executive Should Track
FRED housing starts, permits, prices, and inventory data — the metrics that signal housing market direction and broader economic health.
June 14, 2025
Understanding the Unemployment Rate: Beyond the Headline Number
BLS U-3 vs U-6, demographic breakdowns, and duration data — why the headline unemployment rate often understates or overstates labor market conditions.
June 5, 2025
GDP Growth Explained: What It Means for Business Leaders
BEA GDP data broken down by component — consumption, investment, government, and net exports — and what each reveals about economic momentum.
May 29, 2025
How Fed Rate Decisions Affect Your Business
FRED federal funds rate data and historical analysis — how rate changes flow through to borrowing costs, hiring, investment, and consumer demand.
May 21, 2025
Inflation Trends in 2025: Where Prices Are Rising and Falling
BLS CPI component data reveals divergent inflation trends — which categories are driving headline inflation and which are pulling it down.
May 12, 2025
The Yield Curve Explained: Why It Predicts Recessions
FRED Treasury yield spread data and the historical track record of yield curve inversions — why this indicator has predicted every modern recession.
May 7, 2025
Why Core Inflation Matters More Than Headline Inflation
BLS core CPI strips out volatile food and energy — why the Fed watches core inflation and how executives should use it for pricing and planning.
May 3, 2025
Recession Indicators to Watch in 2025: What the Data Says
Yield curve, LEI, jobless claims, and PMI data — the indicators with the best track record for predicting recessions and where they stand now.