AI and Wage Bargaining

Ignore AI and ask for that pay rise
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/10/29/ignore-ai-and-ask-for-that-pay-rise
Fear of a technological revolution may be suppressing wages. 

The Modi Era

Narendra Modi and the battle for India
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2026/10/29/narendra-modi-and-the-battle-for-india
India’s strongman has changed the country for good and ill. Now he is facing one of his sternest tests yet. 

Home Building Costs

Just About Every Part of Building a House Is Getting More Expensive
https://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/just-about-every-part-of-building-a-house-is-getting-more-expensive-d0f5ebcb
The Iran war, tariffs and the AI build-out have pushed up the costs of materials, labor and borrowing.
 
The Immigration Crackdown Is Making It Much Harder to Build Houses
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/the-immigration-crackdown-is-making-it-much-harder-to-build-houses-ec00f4da
Home building suffers labor shortage that is freezing projects and raising costs. 

Stock Market Concerns

Why the Markets Don’t Care About the Midterms
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/30/business/midterms-stock-bond-markets.html
Factors like inflation, interest rates, A.I. and the war with Iran are far more important, our columnist says.
 
Big Tech’s Data Center Blitz Is Burning Through Cash and Scaring Wall St.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/29/technology/amazon-earnings-tech-spending.html 

State of the US Economy - Update

Consumers and A.I. Spending Push U.S. Economic Growth Higher
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/29/business/economy/us-economy-gdp.html
The economy grew 3.4 percent in the third quarter, the fastest pace in a year. Strong spending and growth contrast with the poor marks many voters are giving the economy.
 
The U.S. Investment Boom Arrives
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/economy-gdp-investment-boom-tariffs-inflation-donald-trump-071da0e2
GDP growth comes in strong at 3.4% and would be stronger without tariffs and mass deportation. 

Are Wages Keeping Pace?
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/are-wages-keeping-pace-aa8e3b28
The short answer is no. The problem, however, is inflation, not asset values.

Shifting Bargaining Power - Apple and the Flash-Storage Makers

The Beleaguered Chip Sellers Getting Their Revenge on Apple
https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-iphone-memory-chips-ai-c0084cc9
The iPhone maker for years bullied flash-storage makers into steep discounts—until AI hyperscalers bid up prices and gobbled up supply. 

China Moves Up the Value Ladder

Welcome to the new ‘Made in China’
https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-ECONOMY/TRADE-OBJECTS/moparrmewva/
A new wave of Chinese exports is rewriting what it means to be made in China. Textiles, furniture and cheap electronics are being joined by a new generation of high-tech, high-quality products once associated with Japan, Europe or the United States. 

Related:

A Tale of Two Chinas
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/china-real-estate-crash-highlights-uneven-prosperity-and-regional-disparities-by-kenneth-rogoff-2026-10
China’s economy is deeply unbalanced, with a battered real-estate sector, weak consumption, and stark regional disparities coexisting with dynamic tech and export sectors. But provided that political stability is maintained, China could continue to be a global powerhouse even as hundreds of millions of its citizens remain poor.