Highlighting the dynamic economy of Texas, northern Louisiana and southern New Mexico
February 27, 2026
Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, discusses the state of commercial construction in Texas and the U.S., including ongoing office and data center activity.
February 20, 2026
Robert Leigh and Pia Orrenius
Texas economic output grew in 2025 but did so with near-zero job growth. The last time that happened was in 2002–03, when the state emerged from the dot-com bust into an extended jobless recovery.
January 16, 2026
Isabel Brizuela, Jesus Cañas and Robert Leigh
Despite a relatively stable peso-dollar exchange rate that would normally favor shopping in the U.S., Mexican consumers increasingly stay closer to home.
January 7, 2026
Samuel Dodini, Jeanna Kenney, Kamran Haq and Isabel Dhillon
A pandemic-era period of relatively low interest rates and rising house prices drew a record number of new real estate agents to the field. Home prices have since remained high, but elevated interest rates and slowing sales have made the industry less attractive.
December 12, 2025
Jim Burke, president and chief executive officer of Vistra Corp., the largest competitive power producer in the country, discusses the outlook for electric power generation in Texas as data centers and artificial intelligence demands are expected to reframe the business.
November 17, 2025
Cullum Clark, director of the Bush Institute–SMU Economic Growth Initiative and an adjunct professor of economics at Southern Methodist University, discusses his recent report, “Build Homes, Expand Opportunity: Lessons from America’s Fastest-Growing Cities.”
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Southwest Economy
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