Bay Area
Bay Area Swallows Q1 Venture Capital as Seattle and Los Angeles Fall Further Behind
OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI concentrate $221.1 billion in Northern California while Southern California and the Pacific Northwest scrape single-digit billions in a market...
North American Life Sciences Sector Grapples With Supply Glut as 55% of Recent Lab Deliveries Sit Vacant
A pandemic-era construction wave has collided with cooling demand, leaving nearly 60 million square feet of new lab space struggling to find tenants...
Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady at March Meeting as Oil Price Spike Clouds Outlook
Wells Fargo economists expect two rate cuts remain on the table in 2026, though elevated inflation from energy costs could push the timeline...
Consumer Spending Shows Early Signs of Caution as Income Strength Meets Emerging Headwinds
A modest gain in January spending masks slowing discretionary activity, while rising gasoline prices tied to the Iran conflict threaten to weigh on...
Multifamily Surge Lifts January Housing Starts But Falling Permits Signal Sluggish Outlook
A 29.9 percent jump in multifamily starts masked underlying weakness in single-family construction, with total permits declining 5.8 percent year-over-year to open 2026...
Rising Oil Prices Cloud U.S. Growth Outlook as Labor Market Stalls, Analysts Warn
The bank’s March economic outlook trims consumer spending forecasts and raises inflation expectations amid the Iran-driven energy shock, while still projecting the expansion...
Puget Sound Apartment Market Hits $6 Billion in Transaction Volume as Institutional Investors Return to the Region
The Simon | Anderson Multifamily Team at Kidder Mathews delivered its spring market outlook at its 26th investor forum, citing a surge in...
February CPI Shows Disinflation Losing Momentum as Energy Costs Surge
Wells Fargo economists warn that a developing Middle East conflict could push energy goods prices sharply higher in March, complicating the Federal Reserve’s...
Small Business Optimism Drops for Second Straight Month as Capex and Hiring Weaken
Sales and earnings gains offer a counterweight, but labor market softness and sticky inflation cloud the outlook for small firms nationwide Small business...
Existing Home Sales Post Modest February Rebound but Affordability Headwinds Persist
A pickup in single-family resales drove the monthly gain, though condo sales contracted for a second straight month and mortgage application data signals...
U.S. Consumer Spending Held Firm in January Despite Headline Retail Dip
Underlying U.S. consumer spending started 2026 on steadier ground than a top-line retail sales decline suggests, though early February data point to a...
U.S. Payrolls Contract by 92,000 in February as Labor Market Stumbles, Fed Outlook Dims
Wells Fargo Economics says one-off factors only partially explain the unexpected decline, with the Iran conflict adding new complexity to an already uncertain...
