In the US almost every Tuesday until the midterms tends to mean somewhere there is a political vote – to who will run for each party and then finally in the November midterms. After that, depending on the results, the campaign for the Presidency will heat up as President Trump second term will end. In the meantime, the economy or pocketbook issues or affordability is one of the key issues.

In an article by Paul Wiseman of the Associated Press, key economic measures are reported quarterly by the Commerce Department and growth is running at 1.5%. Growth in the US GDP (gross domestic product) decelerated from 2.1% in the first 3 months of 2026 to 1.5%. Consumer spending which accounts for 70% of economic activity increased to 3.2%, up 0.5%.

Business investment excluding housing rose at 8.4% down from 10.6%, but still strong thanks to the AI investments.

Imports rose at 11.5%, once again thanks to computer chips and other AI investments.

Olu Sonola, head of US economics at Fitch Ratings noted AI investments remains a powerful growth story, but the import surge underpinning the buildout is a reminder that an AI boom does not automatically translate into an equally large boost to the US GDP.

The Commerce Department said its Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) rose 3.7%, down from 4.1%.

The American economy has been surprisingly resilient in the face of the Iran war and the spick in energy prices it caused. The job market bounced back this year from a lackluster 2025, giving consumers the wherewithal to spend.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, we all have a bias and bias tends to be country and regional based or we picked stocks what we are located. Since that is a bias, examining how the US economy and in particular what part where your stocks are concentrated allows you to determine how the companies should be doing. There is nothing wrong with a bias, just understand you have one and adjust your investments accordingly in terms of how much diversification you have or want to have.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.