GROW YOUR FUTURE

Inflation remained moderate in July, with the CPI rising 0.1% for the month and 3.4% year‑over‑year. Core CPI (excluding food and energy) increased 0.2%, reflecting steady underlying price pressures.

Nonfarm payroll employment fell by 23,000 in July, and the overall unemployment rate dropped slightly to 4.1%, showing slight improvement from prior months.

From 2020 to 2025, U.S. home prices rose every year—and not by a little bit. The biggest jumps came in 2021, 2022, and 2023, caused by a basic supply and demand imbalance.

Median household income is one of the clearest snapshots of how the “typical” American household is doing financially. Unlike the average, which can be distorted by very high earners, the median represents the exact midpoint—half of households earn more, half earn less. That makes it a powerful indicator for students learning how the economy affects real people.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the total value of all goods and services produced in the United States each year. It’s one of the most important indicators of economic health because it reflects how much the economy is producing, how many people are working, and how much businesses and consumers are spending. For new investors, understanding GDP helps explain the environment in which companies grow, wages rise, and financial markets move.