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What the PPI Report Is Really Telling Us. Amza Togore (Trinity College).

The latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release did not just come in elevated—it came in decisively hot. A 0.7% monthly increase, following 0.5% in January, is a pattern. And when you annualize the recent momentum, you are looking at 4–5%  annualized inflation pressure. Remember, PPI is not a prediction. It is a diagnostic tool. It tells us where inflation stress is forming inside the economy—before it becomes visible to consumers. And right now, that stress is building quietly but broadly. Goods prices are reaccelerating. Service costs are not cooling. Food costs moved higher. That combination matters more than the level of inflation. It is the distribution and direction that is important. We have now moved from: 0.4% → 0.5% → 0.7% Can We Use This to Predict Inflation? Yes — But Carefully If we take recent monthly PPI data and run a simple projection: [(1-mDec)(1-mJan)(1-mFeb)]**4 - 1] We get annualized inflation from 4 to 5 %. This is a meaningful, but PPI does not translate cleanl...
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Saalex Event at the Capital One Arena.Riley McGlynn, Sienna University.

Saalex Event at the Capital One Arena. Left to right, Le Nhu Ngoc Tran, Whitman College, Ramal Moreland, JP Morgan, Don Cravins, CEO, NMSDC, Riley McGlynn, Sienna University, Amza Togore, Trinity College, Georgia Kogut, George Washington University On February 24th I attended an event that the interns at Creative Investment Research (Le Nhu Ngoc Tran, Whitman College, Riley McGlynn, Sienna University, Amza Togore, Trinity College, Georgia Kogut, George Washington University) helped put together. The event was hosted by Saalex Corporation at Capital One Arena during the Georgetown vs. Marquette basketball game. In attendance were individuals from different companies, including Don Cravins, President of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), and Shannon Smith, Vice President of SAALEX.  Coordinating and designing this event was an important learning experience for us, as communication and collaboration were huge parts of the reason this event was so suc...
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Slowing U.S. Growth and the Outlook for Black and Minority-Owned Firms

  Implications of the BEA GDP Second Estimate for Q4 and Full-Year 2025 The latest GDP release from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) confirms what many businesses already felt on the ground: economic momentum slowed significantly at the end of 2025. For Black- and minority-owned businesses (MBEs), this slowdown carries important implications for revenue, hiring, financing, and regional economic opportunity. Real GDP growth slowed sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with earlier in the year. The BEA reported that real GDP rose 1.4% at an annual rate in Q4 , down from 4.4% in the third quarter , with growth driven primarily by consumer spending and investment while declines in exports and government spending offset some of the gains.  Subsequent revisions and analysis suggest growth may have been even weaker, with estimates pointing to roughly 0.7% annualized growth , reflecting weaker consumer spending, falling exports, and reduced government activity....
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Feb. 2026 CPI - Implications for Black and Minority Firms

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows inflation rising 0.3% in February and 2.4% over the past year , with shelter, food, and energy the main contributors to price increases. ( Bureau of Labor Statistics ) This level of inflation appears high relative to the Fed's 2% inflation target. Further, the economic impact varies sharply depending on industry exposure and regional cost structures . For Black and minority-owned businesses (MBEs), these differences matter because minority firms are concentrated in specific sectors and urban regions that are particularly sensitive to inflation. 1. Industry Exposure of Black and Minority Firms Minority-owned businesses are disproportionately represented in a handful of industries. Key sectors include: Health care and social assistance Transportation and warehousing Accommodation and food services Retail trade Professional and technical services Construction ( Pew Research Center ) These industries account for a large share of minority ent...
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The Employment Situation – February 2026: Implications for Black and Minority Businesses By Industry and Region

The latest U.S. employment report for February 2026 reveals a labor market that contains important warning signs—particularly for Black workers, minority entrepreneurs, and the businesses that employ them. These signals are especially relevant for minority-owned firms, which tend to operate in industries and regions that are more sensitive to shifts in employment conditions. Overall, the U.S. unemployment rate increased to  4.4% in February from 4.3% in January. Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 92,000 jobs . However, the impact of these changes is not evenly distributed across communities, industries, or geographic regions. Employment Trends and Minority Business Implications One of the most important findings in the February report is the widening gap between unemployment rates across racial groups. Black unemployment: 7.7% Hispanic unemployment: 5.2% Asian unemployment: 4.8% White unemployment: 3.7% Black unemployment remains more than double the White unemploymen...
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Leading Without Burnout: 2026 BLACK ENTERPRISE Women of Power Summit Workshop on Wellness and Self Care

Burnout among Black women leaders is gaining long-overdue attention. An article in Black Enterprise Magazine by Jeffrey McKinney highlights the growing pressures Black women face in leadership and entrepreneurship—and the structural factors driving these challenges.As the article notes, economic conditions are part of the story. According to Creative Investment Research , recent labor market trends are reshaping opportunities and stress levels for Black women in the workforce.   William Michael Cunningham, MA, MBA explains that rising unemployment among Black women in 2025–2026 reflects both more Black women entering the labor force and job cuts in sectors where Black women are heavily represented, including healthcare, social assistance, and education. Understanding these dynamics requires economic analysis of the systems shaping Black women’s work, income, and opportunity. If we want to address burnout meaningfully, we must also address the underlying economic structures drivin...
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Number of Black Women Unemployed Grows in Feb., 2026.

After dropping from an increase of 222,0000 in December 2025 to an increase of 119,000 by January, 2026, the number of Black women unemployed resumed its climb in February. In January, 2026, the Department of Labor reported 717,000 Black women unemployed, growing to 804,000 unemployed by February, 2026.  The rise in unemployment among Black women in 2025-2026 is not only due to job loss, however. As the chart below shows, it is largely the result of increased labor force participation combined with job losses in healthcare and government, sectors where Black women are overrepresented.
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