10 Things You Need to Know: May 5, 2026
Key data releases this week include: factory orders (Mon), trade balance (Tue), ISM Services (Tue), new home sales (Tue), JOLTS Jobs Openings (Tue), nonfarm productivity (Thu), consumer credit (Thu), consumer sentiment (Fri), and nonfarm payrolls (Fri).
Haver
April 28, 2026
U.S. house prices were essentially unchanged m/m in February after a rise of 0.2% in January, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index. The year-on-year growth rate slowed to 1.7% in February, the lowest since March 2012, from 1.8% in January.
Haver
April 30, 2026
Personal income posted a solid 0.6% m/m (3.7% y/y) increase in March following an upwardly revised unchanged reading in February. The March increase was twice the 0.3% monthly gain expected by the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Personal consumption expenditures jumped 0.9% m/m (5.7% y/y) in March following a 0.6% monthly gain in February.
Haver
April 30, 2026
The headline PCE price index increased 0.7% m/m (3.5% y/y versus 2.8% y/y in February), the largest monthly gain since July 2022 but in line with expectations of the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The core index rose 0.3% m/m in March, down from 0.4% in February and in line with expectations. However, the yearly rate rose further to 3.2% y/y in March from 3.0% in February.
Haver
April 30, 2026
Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 2.0% in the first quarter of 2026, almost identical to the expected advance of 2.1%. Business fixed investment registered growth of 10.4%. Federal spending surged 9.4% in Q1, but the rise reflected the reopening of most federal agencies after their closure during much of the fourth quarter. Consumer spending rose 1.5%.
Haver
May 1, 2026
The ISM U.S. manufacturing PMI held at a lower-than-expected 52.7 in April. A reading of 53.0 for April had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The prices paid index jumped to 84.6 in April, indicating raw materials prices rose for the 19th consecutive month and at the fastest pace since April 2022.
Barron’s
May 4, 2026
In 2025, 62% of Americans reported owning stocks, directly or indirectly, close to pre-2007 highs. The wealthiest 10% of Americans own 87% of all corporate equities and mutual fund shares, with the wealthiest 1% holding half and the top 0.1% almost a quarter.
Axios, WSJ, FT
April 30, 2026, April 29, 2026, April 29, 2026
Jerome Powell broke a 75-year precedent by announcing he will remain on the Federal Reserve board as a governor after Kevin Warsh takes over as chair next month. Powell cited concerns “about the series of legal attacks on the Fed. The FOMC also decided to hold rates in their current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. Four committee members dissented.
Bloomberg
May 1, 2026
An SEC proposal to allow public companies to switch from quarterly to semiannual reporting has cleared White House review, moving it closer to implementation. The Managed Funds Association has expressed concerns about reduced transparency and liquidity, citing EU studies, while the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation has urged maintenance of quarterly disclosures.
Bloomberg
April 30, 2026
S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC has launched a consultation that could eventually speed up the entry of mega cap companies seeking to IPO into its indexes, including the S&P 500. The rule change would shorten the amount of time a company needs to be public before being eligible to enter its indexes to six months versus the current minimum of 12. The index provider is also weighing new rules that may waive the requirements on profitability and liquidity for large companies.