Airlines are passing higher costs on with domestic ticket prices in March 20% higher than 2019 levels, and up 15% from February,
8.5% Inflation
U.S. inflation accelerated to 8.5% in March, a new four-decade high, as surging energy prices and higher food costs hit consumers.
Recession Forecast
Economists put the probability of the economy being in recession sometime in the next 12 months at 28%, up from 18% in January and just 13% a year ago.
Hotel Development
Compared to pre-pandemic levels, hotel development costs have increased between 15% and 23%.
Unibail
Europe’s largest mall operator Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE wants to shed most of its U.S. properties by the end of 2023, bracing for a potentially sizable loss after it paid about $14 billion four years ago for some of the country’s top-performing malls.
Wage Gains
Average hourly earnings were up a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in March, following February’s relatively weak 0.1% rise. In the previous six months, by contrast, monthly wage gains averaged 0.5%.
Hospitality Employment
For every 10 jobs that exist in leisure and hospitality, there's a job opening with hotel employment in the U.S. 20% below where it was pre-pandemic.
New Vehicles
Drivers are snatching up available vehicles as soon as they hit the lot. In the first quarter, 41% of all new vehicles were sold within the first week of sitting on a dealer lot, compared with 20% in the first quarter of 2021.
Dow Drop
The Dow dropped about 550 points, wrapping up stocks’ worst quarter in two years as investors juggled war, inflation and rising interest rates.
4% Mortgages
The average mortgage rate on a 30-year home loan surged past 4% for the first time in three years in March.