The first week of 2026 brought several important data releases: December jobs and unemployment figures, consumer credit trends, consumer sentiment readings and a final look at 2025 auto sales performance. With the new year underway, economic and automotive reports are flowing fast and furious, and we’ll continue tracking these developments in the weeks ahead. New-Vehicle … Continued

Now that we’re officially into the new year, here’s a market update from the holiday-shortened week. The final week of 2025 brought limited economic data releases, but the updates we received were largely positive. We’ll cover December’s housing and labor market indicators, the growing disconnect between consumer sentiment and spending behavior, and how declining interest … Continued

Last week brought critical updates on the Fed’s dual mandate with November’s jobs report and CPI data. Both reports point toward a labor market under pressure while inflation looks to be cooling, although many economists are taking the report with a grain of salt. Additionally, the Economic and Industry Insights team hosted a webinar exploring key … Continued

The second full week of December was quiet except for the Federal Reserve’s last meeting of the year – and it delivered some drama. Last week, our team provided updates on credit availability and new- and used-vehicle inventory levels. This week, we will receive new information on jobs and unemployment early in the week, before … Continued

Now that we are in December and government data is flowing again, we have additional data points for the automotive market and new (but dated) reports on the economy. This week provided updates on new-vehicle sales and pricing, consumer sentiment, and spending and income, although those reports cover September. We will not receive much data … Continued

More updates on economic metrics are being received, leading up to Thanksgiving. Last week focused on updates about job creation and unemployment, while this week brings the September update for producer prices. The next release for the consumer price index data will come on Dec. 18, which is notable as the Federal Reserve will be making … Continued

Editor’s note: Jeremy Robb, interim chief economist at Cox Automotive, will keep the Auto Market Weekly Summary rolling as Jonathan Smoke transitions to his new role as chief strategy officer. Last week saw the end of the longest government shutdown in history come to a stop on Wednesday evening after a record 43 days. Over … Continued