Inflation remains uneven across categories, with food items such as beef and essentials such as car maintenance and other services showing the strongest upward pressure. Helpful graphic from Visual Capitalist:

As of October 2025

“Top” 10 by percentage change from last September to September 2025:

As of Sept. 2025

COL

Great graphic based on Numbeo’s Cost of Living Index, which measures the price of goods, services, and rent relative to New York City (baseline of 100):

As of June 2025

Numbeo’s website has a nice scroll over version of the following map:

As of June 2024

Economic Development Launch

The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) and the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) announced Monday they are partnering to launch the Nevada Economic Developers Association, or NEDA, a statewide professional association focused on strengthening and supporting economic development professionals across Nevada. 

The press release included an approving comment from Nathan Ohle, President & CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and said NEDA will, among other things:

• Serve as a central resource for training, certification and professional development

• Provide education for government leaders, nonprofit partners and elected officials

• Support workforce development and encourage community investment

Immediate NEDA goals:

• Formation of a 501(c)(6) organization by March 31, 2026, with EDAWN and LVGEA jointly guiding operations for the first 3 years 

• Launch of a statewide training program by the second quarter of 2026, aligned with Nevada’s economic development goals 

• Pursuit of affiliation with the International Economic Development Council to offer members access to national certifications and professional standards 

• Opportunities for economic development organizations across Nevada to join as founding and future members 

The CEOs of both organizations — Taylor Adams, who stepped into Mike Kazmierskis shoes as President and CEO of EDAWN a couple of years back, and Danielle Casey, newly installed President & CEO of LVGEA — called the partnership “critical.”

Gas Prices

Gasbuddy.com graph for the average price of regular gas nationally:

As of 11/10/24

National prices (blue line) as compared to Nevada (red line):

As of 11/10/24

As of 11/10/24

AI Stock Dip

Between October 29 and November 7, the combined market capitalization of 10 major AI companies—Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, Broadcom, Oracle, TSMC, AMD, Palantir, Apple, and ASML—fell by $1.64 trillion, reflecting a broad and not unexpected market correction across the tech sector. Visual Capitalist graph:

Data source: companiesmarketcap.com As of 11/7/25

Rail Cargo Decline

U.S. rail intermodal shipments fell 3.0 percent in October from October 2024—the third year-over-year decline in the past 5 months for intermodal and the steepest percentage drop since August 2023, per the Association of American Railroads (AAR) AAR Data Center. 

October is generally one of the strongest months of the year for intermodal railroad traffic: In 20 of the 25 years from 2000 to 2024, it was among the top 3 months for average weekly volume. October’s weekly average of 273,747 units landed the month in the 5th spot.

In October 2025, total U.S. rail carloads were down a fraction (-0.03%) from October 2024, and 11 of the 20 major rail carload categories posted year-over- year declines. AAR graph:

Source: AAR As of October 2025

Uncertainty Index

Major policy shifts have been adding to the long list of unknowns about the future and are reflected in the doubling since January of the IMF’s World Uncertainty Index.

Source: IMF As of October 2025

Unsurprisingly, the trend line is similar as to global feelings about World Trade:

Source: IMF As of October 2025

IMF’s Chart of the Week, though, shows that the record monthly level for policy uncertainty was accompanied by relatively upbeat readings in its World Sentiment Index — aligning with recent IMF forecasts that the global economy remains resilient and is slowing only modestly, thanks to emerging markets and improving business adaptability:

Source: IMF As of October 2025

A Rose by Any Other Name

Modern-day companies often decide to rebrand — and as of the last 25 years, so do some nations. A few new notable examples from a list of 7 reported by Daily Passport:

• The Czech Republic introduced Czechia as its short-form name in 2016 in order to simplify its branding for practical uses, including manufacturing labels and sports team swag. The long-form name is still used for government, and legal documents. 

• In April 2018, King Mswati III declared he was changing the name of Swaziland to eSwatini during national celebrations of the country’s 50th anniversary of independence — and the week of his 50th birthday). As an absolute monarch, Mswati III was and is one of few world leaders with the power to change his country’s name with just a smile and a signature.

• Previously part of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey was established in 1923. However, in 2022, the government adopted a rebrand. Officials in Ankara sent notification to the U.N. requesting to be referred to as Türkiye, its official name in Turkish, instead of the common English name Turkey. It was a move to dissociate the country from the bird synonymous with Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners; President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also stated that the name better represents Turkish culture. 

Read about the others here.

On the Horizon

Marketwatch calendar:

Data & Dialogue About the Economy



The Fact Pack is a monthly business e-report co-authored by Mike PeQueen of Hightower Las Vegas and John Restrepo of RCG Economics, which combines important metrics relevant to business decision makers and financial commentary on the current issues facing the economy.

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