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The U.S. economy added 172,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3 percent. That headline number lands essentially in line with April’s revised print of 179,000, itself a significant upgrade from the originally reported 115,000 thanks to

The May ISM reports show that the U.S. economy is still growing, and growth is becoming more widespread across both manufacturing and services. However, cost pressures remain elevated and are now spreading into services, and the labor market continues to show signs of weakness even as overall activity improves. Manufacturing:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its revised first quarter 2026 productivity figures on June 4th, and the headline is weaker than the underlying economy deserves. Nonfarm business sector labor productivity rose just 0.3 percent in Q1, as output climbed 1.0 percent against a 0.7 percent increase in hours worked.

AI, Automation, and Productivity: Long-Term Themes That May Drive Returns for Investors Artificial intelligence is no longer just a technology story. It is becoming a capital spending story, an earnings story, and potentially a long-term productivity story that could reshape how companies compete and how investors identify durable return opportunities.

The MNI Chicago Business Barometer printed 62.7 in May 2026, its highest reading in four years and a 13.5-point surge from April’s 49.2, which had marked a return to contraction. The consensus forecast heading into the release was 50.3 to 50.6, making the miss one of the largest in recent

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge delivered an expectedly high reading last week. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index advanced 3.8% in April on an annualized basis, reaching its highest level since August 2023. The causes are not mysterious. The outbreak of the Iran war in late February 2026 disrupted

The BEA released its second estimate of Q1 2026 GDP yesterday, and the headline number came in at 1.6% annualized growth, a downward revision from the 2.0% advance estimate published in April. While that is a meaningful rebound from the sluggish 0.5% pace recorded in Q4 2025, the revision lower

The Federal Reserve finds itself in a difficult policy environment. At its April 2026 meeting, the FOMC voted to hold the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, as policymakers grappled with persistent inflation and an unusually divided committee. The inflation problem has been significantly compounded

Please find the next blog in our monthly series that provides a snapshot of the markets and the state of the economy. Economic Overview Market Returns Asset Class Valuations – Rebalancing Rationale Key Risk Factors We Are Watching Disclaimers: The views expressed herein are those of Asset Consulting Group (ACG).

Building permits came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,442,000 in April 2026, rebounding 5.8 percent from a soft March reading of 1,363,000 but landing essentially flat on a year-over-year basis, just 0.2 percent below April 2025. Single-family authorizations declined 2.6 percent from March to 872,000, while multifamily