Uncovering the Facts

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

January 26, 2026

Data on its own is not very interesting, but knitted together, individual data points become information, and information becomes knowledge. With more knowledge, we can hopefully make better and more informed decisions. Add scientifically-derived survey data to the mix while exploring a wide array of topics, and your view of what really matters to Delawareans comes into focus.

For us, that means refreshing our Delaware Competitiveness Bluebook yearly, and collecting new survey feedback from business leaders like you, and from everyday Delawareans, too. We’re going to dig deeper on topics ranging from taxes to education and work readiness and go beyond “this is great” or “this is bad” to better identify actionable steps that move Delaware forward. If you would like a free hard copy of the 2026 Delaware Competitiveness Bluebook, we would be glad to send one to you. Request a free copy >

I can still recall being a young staffer in Congress long ago, sitting on the floor of the United States Senate and listening to a debate between two Senators. Former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said something I never forgot: “We are all entitled to our own opinions. However, we are not entitled to our own set of facts.” That perspective has stayed with me ever since. Our efforts, and those of our partners, will hopefully uncover those facts and the steps needed to make lasting change.

News You Can Use

We kick off the week with durable-goods order information, followed tomorrow by January consumer confidence numbers. On Wednesday afternoon, we’ll learn of any decision the Fed is making on interest rates, followed by a 2:30pm press conference by Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Thursday brings us November factory order results and Q3 productivity figures. We close out a cold and snowy week on Friday with the producer price index from December, PPI year over year, and the Chicago Business Barometer for January.

Bank of Hawaii, Steel Dynamics, Crane, Graco, and others start the week of earnings calls today. Tuesday calls include American Airlines, Boeing, First Bancorp, Invesco, Kimberly-Clark, Popular, UnitedHealth, UPS, PPG Industries, Texas Instruments, and more. GE Vernova, AT&T, Navient, Otis Worldwide, Textron, UBS, Deluxe, Ethan Allen, Fair Isaac, IBM, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Waste Management, and others are part of a busy Wednesday lineup. Altria, Comcast, Dow, Sanofi, Apple, Olin, American Express, Air Products, Verizon and others round out a busy week.

Michael J. Quaranta

President

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce

Uniquely Delaware

Delaware Demographics Data

Delaware continues to benefit from positive in-migration (14th), especially when compared to neighboring states like Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. However, Delaware’s demographic profile shows a growing challenge: we rank 4th nationally for the share of residents age 65 or older, while ranking 41st for the percentage of our population in prime working age (25-64). More data like this can be found in the Delaware Competitiveness Bluebook.

FHLBank Pittsburgh provides readily available low-cost funding and opportunities for affordable housing and community development to 302 member financial institutions in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. FHLBank Pittsburgh is one of 11 FHLBanks nationwide.

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