Workers in their late 30s had 88% of their 401(k)s in stocks last year, versus 82% a decade earlier. Investors in their early 60s had 401(k) allocations to stocks of 60%, up from 57% a decade ago.
Renters Demo
While homeownership climbs with age, the fastest-growing group of renters is those 55 and older. The share of renters 65 and older rose 30% in the last decade.
Small Business Optimism
The small business optimism index, a gauge of sentiment among small firms, improved to 100.3 in July from 98.6 in June, taking it further above the 98 point that marks the index’s long-term average.
Stock Buybacks
U.S. companies are projected to buyback more than $1.1 trillion worth of stock in 2025, which would mark an all-time high. Buybacks have been particularly concentrated at the top, with the 20 largest companies accounting for almost half of repurchases.
CRE Volume
Across the U.S. markets 12,458 deals totaling $182.4 billion transacted in the first half of 2025 — a 15.2% increase in dollar volume and a 25.2% rise in transaction count compared to the first half of 2024. Multifamily and industrial deals made up the bulk of transactions completed in the first half of this year, accounting for 35.4% and 28.4% of dollar volume, respectively.
All-Inclusive Resorts
Hyatt, Marriott and other hotel chains are upgrading pay-one-price resorts to lure affluent travelers.
BNPL
Buy-Now-Pay-Later use is expected to account for about $100 billion in transactions this year.
Hedge Fund Performance
Trend-following hedge funds lost 9.6% in the first half of this year, on track for their worst annual performance since at least 1998. Meanwhile, hedge funds more broadly returned 4%, net of fees, while the S&P 500 delivered 6.2% to investors, including dividends.
Cut Probability
Markets are pricing in a 64% probability of a 25bp cut in September and expect approximately 100 bps of cuts over the next year. Meanwhile, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield is trading at 4.33%, near the lower end of its year-to-date range.
Condominiums
The months of supply for condos, which indicates how long it would take to sell the existing inventory at the present sales rate, is near a 10-year high, said Asad Khan, senior economist at Redfin. Besides a momentary peak at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, it hasn’t been so high since the early 2010s.