Factory Orders Beat
Earlier this week, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that factory orders rose 0.9%, beating the 0.7% forecast and a solid rebound from June’s -0.2% decline. Durable goods orders excluding defense held firm at +1.3% month over month. Signs of a resilient economy amid geopolitical turmoil and rising energy prices.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Expanding Manufacturing
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for July came in at 55.6. A reading above 50 means the manufacturing sector is expanding compared to the previous month; below 50 means it’s contracting. In addition, business investment looks strong with core capital goods orders rising 12.5% year-over-year.
Source: Institute for Supply Management
Southwest Air Lounges Are Coming
Yesterday, Southwest Airlines announced that it will build a network of airport lounges, with four opening in airports by late next year. They will be partnering with Chase Bank, building on the Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge Network. The high-end affinity cards are big business, and Southwest wants to get in on the action.
Source: Wall Street Journal
$499 Toothbrush
Dyson, the company that makes popular vacuums and $400 hairdryers, has released a $499 toothbrush. The “CameraJet” as it is called, is more than a mere toothbrush. The device has a camera and a water jet and can simultaneously brush and floss your teeth. It is Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled and can take videos, so you can either observe in real time or have a video to enjoy. The average person brushes for about 45 seconds, and about one third of people floss daily. CameraJet’s features might just get you to brush longer.
Source: Wall Street Journal, allure.com
Birth Rates and College Enrollment Cliff
The long-anticipated college enrollment cliff, starting with the fall semester of 2026, is driven by the impact of declining birth rates during the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Fall 2026 is the year demographers have projected as the real inflection point, with two-year community colleges expected to see a 14-percentage-point decline in the number of 18-year-olds in their entering class over 2025-2030, while ‘elite’ universities face a comparatively modest 6-percentage-point decline.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Open Since George Washington’s Second Term
Davoll’s General Store in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, opened in 1793 during Washington’s second term. It has had 13 proprietors since then. The store remains much the same as it has been for more than 200 years, surviving the onslaught of online shopping. Locals now view it more as a community hub with book events, knitting circles, Irish music sessions and Burns Night, a yearly celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. But you can still get some eggs, candy, and a fly swatter, if you need them.
Source: New York Times
Labor Day Begins
Yesterday, September 3, 1894, Labor Day was celebrated as a legal holiday for the first time. Since then, it has been set on the first Monday of September. There is no particular significance to the date except that it was chosen because it fell roughly halfway between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. The celebration began on September 5, 1882, in New York, when an estimated 10,000 workers paraded from City Hall to Union Square. Twelve years passed before the celebration became an official holiday.
Source: Britannica
That’s Your Lizard Brain Talking
Your brain isn’t a lizard wrapped in a mammal wrapped in a human, despite what 1960s theory and decades of pop psychology claimed and were popularized by Carl Sagan. New genetic studies show reptile and mammal brains actually share the same neuron types scattered throughout the brain since both trace back to a common ancestor 320 million years ago. The latest research suggests brain evolution is really a wiring trade-off — expanding one system while shrinking another — a pattern seen in biological and artificial brains alike. So, there’s no lizard hiding in your skull, just old wiring that never moved out.
Source: Science Advances
