StoneFlare

Cutting through the noise with data-driven analysis

Latest Articles

Fed

Fed’s September 16, 2026, Statement: Solid Growth or Selective Spin?

The Federal Reserve’s September 16, 2026, FOMC statement paints a picture of an economy expanding at a “solid pace” with “resilient” domestic spending, stable unemployment, and inflation that remai...

Consumer

August Retail Sales Bounce Back, But Don’t Let the Nominal Numbers Fool You: September 16, 2026 Census Report Unpacked

The Census Bureau’s **September 16, 2026** retail sales release delivered a mixed bag: a **revised July decline of -0.5%** followed by a **robust 1.2% nominal increase in August**. On the surface, ...

Banking

Credit Expansion Hits a Speed Bump: July’s Sharp Business Loan Slowdown Raises Eyebrows

The Federal Reserve’s September 4, 2026 H.8 release confirms what many had suspected but few wanted to admit outright: the U.S. banking system is still expanding credit overall, but **business lend...

Consumer

Consumer Sentiment Crashes 7.5% in September: The Sharpest Drop Since 2022

The University of Michigan’s preliminary Consumer Sentiment report, released on **September 11, 2026**, paints a stark picture of growing consumer unease. While the official narrative downplays the...

Inflation

August CPI Surges 0.4%: Energy Rebounds but Core Inflation’s Quiet Comeback Demands Attention

The September 11, 2026 CPI release for August delivered a jolt to the inflation narrative: headline inflation accelerated sharply to **0.4% month-over-month**, up from a tame **0.1% in July**, whil...

Housing

Housing Market Stalls: August Sales Drop Below 4 Million for First Time Since Mid-2025

The National Association of Realtors’ September 10, 2026 release delivered a sobering snapshot: existing-home sales fell **2.0% month-over-month** and **1.2% year-over-year** in August, sliding to ...

Inflation

Producer Prices Heat Up Again: August PPI Shows Upstream Inflation Surging 12.8% Amid Diesel Spike

The **September 10, 2026** Producer Price Index (PPI) release jolts the inflation narrative awake. After a lull in June and July, headline final-demand PPI climbed **0.4 percent** in August, a mode...

ECB

ECB Tightens Without a Word: September 10, 2026 Rate Hike Leaves Markets Guessing

On **10 September 2026**, the European Central Bank dropped a monetary-policy bombshell—and then left investors in the dark. The ECB’s official press page announced a **uniform 25-basis-point incre...