ECONOMICS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
Make sense of prices, purchasing power and the numbers behind the headlines. One worked example at a time.
Start with the essentialsNo jargon required. Just a little curiosity.
New The US economy before the 2026 midterms, in five charts
The same groceries. A bigger bill.
NEW · THE 2026 US MIDTERMS
Official data, clear charts and every source linked. What voters face on 3 November, and what the result can and cannot change.
Fuel, prices and loans cost more. Unemployment is a little lower.
3.7%inflation, Sept 2026
$4.33gallon of gasoline
Inflation is back at 3.7%, pay is falling behind prices and hiring has nearly stalled. Five charts of official data show the economy voters face on 3 November.
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19 midterms since 1950, 19 rises a year later.
19 of 19midterms followed by a 12-month rise
+15.5%average 12 months after
Midterm years usually bring the stock market's deepest dip of the presidential term. Then, in all 19 cases since 1950, the S&P 500 was higher a year after the vote. What the pattern shows, and what it can't promise.
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What a new Congress can and cannot touch.
3 Novelection day
11 Decgovernment funding runs out
Congress controls budgets, taxes and tariff law. It does not set interest rates or the price of oil. A plain guide to what each election outcome could mean for your money.
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18 losses, 2 gains: the House record since 1946.
18 of 20midterms with House losses
26seats lost on average
Since 1946, the party in the White House has almost always lost seats in the House at midterm elections. Two charts show the pattern, the two exceptions and the role of the economy.
Read the reportMARKETS & MONEY
Bonds, shares and borrowing, explained from the ground up with official data.
A frightened market can contain bargains and damaged businesses.
7equally weighted inputs
0–100CNN score range
CNN's Fear & Greed Index describes market behaviour. Learn how orders move prices and why extreme fear cannot distinguish a bargain from a crisis.
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Calm shares. Costly loans. Both can be true.
15.27VIX, 13 October close
5.21%10-year yield, 13 October
The VIX measures expected stock-market swings, not every risk. Two charts explain why a quiet VIX can coexist with rising government bond yields.
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The riskier the borrower, the more interest lenders ask.
$220bnBig Tech bonds in a year
5.24%10-year US government yield
The biggest tech companies are borrowing record sums to build AI data centres. A plain guide to how company borrowing works, and why the extra interest lenders ask for has started to rise.
Read the reportUnderstand the number.
Then understand the headline.
THE FIRST THREE EXPLAINERS
The same groceries. A bigger bill.
A smaller jump. Still a higher price.
Think of the same bag of groceries. A smaller price rise still leaves you with a bigger bill.
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Some of your pay rise goes to higher bills.
$40 leftfor other purchases, after covering the old budget
A pay rise is good news. How much it helps also depends on what happens to your everyday bills.
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More bread? Or more expensive bread?
Loaves made
5 more loaves
Price per loaf
$2 more per loaf
Two different changes. One bigger money total.
A tiny bakery makes the difference easy to see: more bread and more expensive bread are two different changes.
Read the explainerFOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
01 — Start with a question
Something you have seen in a headline, a price tag or a payslip.
02 — Work through the numbers
Simple examples with clearly labelled assumptions and calculations.
03 — Know the limits
Primary sources, definitions and the context a headline can leave out.