Weekly Economic Update (Sep. 14-18, 2026)

September 23, 2026

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Weekly Economic Update (Sep. 14-18, 2026)

Quick snapshot of what this article covers:

Key Points

Retail sales rebounded in August following a sharp decline in July.

While rising energy prices weighed on real income growth in 2026, personal consumption – which accounts for over 2/3 of GDP – has generally held up.

Retail and Food Services Sales

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Nationally the pace of residential housing permit issuance is up by 3.5% from last year, though issuance has generally slowed across the Sunbelt where supply conditions are somewhat looser.

Year-over-Year Change in Cumulative Residential Permit Issuance

Map of the United States showing metropolitan areas with percent changes in residential building permits, colored on a gradient scale from red for -50% to green for +50%. Various metropolitan regions across the country are shaded in colors ranging from red, orange, yellow, and green indicating decreases or increases in permits issued, with clusters of green in the Northeast and parts of the West Coast, and mixed changes elsewhere.

About Author

Jeff Bridges

Chief Economist, Enact

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Jeff Bridges is Enact’s Chief Economist and is responsible for macroeconomic and housing market forecasts and analysis. Jeff holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in Economics from George Mason University, where Jeff is currently a doctoral candidate in Economics. Jeff’s areas of specialization include macroeconomic theory, financial economics, and industrial organization.