Macro
Search catalysts, news stories, and pressures, or browse the trust-weighted news feed below.
month values ▾
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -0.65 | -0.65 | -0.55 | -0.24 | -0.40 | -0.32 | -0.29 | -0.20 | -0.20 | -0.15 | -0.15 | -0.10 |
Sentiment bottomed in Q1 with GM's and Chrysler's bankruptcies and crushed spending, then Cash for Clunkers in July directly reignited auto sales and the recovery gathered through H2 despite 10% unemployment.
How this mood is scored ▾
The administration pushed Chrysler into a surgical bankruptcy that handed control to Fiat and favored union claims over secured lenders. The precedent alarmed some creditors but established the template for GM's larger filing a month later.
General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, marking the largest industrial collapse in U.S. history, with the federal government injecting $30 billion and taking a 60% ownership stake. The restructuring plan includes closing plants, shedding brands like Saturn and Hummer, and reducing debt by over half. The move signals a major shift in the auto industry, with long-term profitability uncertain and taxpayers facing potential losses as the government prepares to eventually exit its ownership position.
The $3 billion Car Allowance Rebate System offered up to $4,500 for trading in gas guzzlers, briefly lifting auto sales to pre-crisis rates. The program burned through its initial funding in days, an early data point in the consumer stabilization story.