10 Friday AM Reads
The article discusses various topics from the week, highlighting significant trends and insights. It covers the impact of rising costs on new car buyers, the reversal of population decline in the Rust Belt, and the evolving social dynamics among Gen Z. Additionally, it touches on the importance of sleep for healthy aging and features a cultural piece on Japanese oyster farmers.
- ▪One million households are permanently priced out of the new-car market due to high gas prices and rising interest rates.
- ▪The Rust Belt is experiencing a population increase for the first time in years, driven by remote work and housing affordability.
- ▪A recent study suggests that 6.4 to 7.8 hours of sleep per night is linked to healthy aging.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
10 Friday AM Reads May 29, 2026 6:30am by Barry Ritholtz My end-of-week morning reads: • One Million New-Car Buyers Are Gone and They’re Not Coming Back Soon: WSJ on the demand hole left by affordability — a million households permanently priced out of the new-car market. The structural part of the auto cycle that doesn’t show up in monthly SAAR. High gas prices, rising interest rates and stubborn inflation are keeping buyers at home and cars on the lots (Wall Street Journal) • Henry Ford Upped Wages So Workers Became Consumers. The Rest Is History.: Barron’s on the actual economic logic behind Ford’s $5 day — turnover costs, not altruism — and how the story keeps getting retold in service of whatever today’s argument needs. Useful corrective.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Big Picture.
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