Arbor Data Science

The team at Arbor Data Science provides daily commentary and data-driven analysis for institutional clients of Arbor Research & Trading.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Cattle supply is not something that can increase quickly... That is the reason that the Trump Administration is a big fan of Argentinian beef imports.

@SamuelRines: Macro Strategist at WisdomTree and contributor to Arbor Data Science

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

U.S. motor gasoline inventories totaled 211.59 million barrels on 5/22/2026. This was the lowest level since it was 209.90 million barrels in November 2025, and the lowest inventory total compared to any week in May over the past 10 years.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

The resource-intensive nature of data centers — namely excessive water and energy usage — was the main reason respondents cited for their opposition to data center construction, according to a Gallup survey conducted from April 1-15, 2026.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Over the previous 10 years, there were only 3 times in which the SPR had a net increase in barrels. The largest decrease was in 2022, which had a drawdown of 221 million barrels. In 2026, there has been a total drawdown of 39.29 million barrels (as of 5/15/2026).

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

The week-over-week (5/8/2026 to 5/15/2026) decrease of 9.92 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was the largest one week change since the inventory data became available in the summer of 1982.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Brazil is the largest supplier of soybeans to China. Its share of China’s soybean market jumped from 60% in 2022 to 74% in 2025. During the same period, the share of soybeans from the U.S. declined from 31% in 2022 to 15% in 2025.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Quality of labor has been a top concern for small businesses. The most recent reading in April 2026 suggested that it was the biggest issue that small businesses faced, with 18% of firms citing it as their main challenge.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

The $1.5 trillion budget proposal submitted by the Pentagon for FY 2027 includes $76.96 billion on the procurement of missiles and missile defense systems. This would nearly triple the planned spending of $27.22 billion in FY 2026 for missiles and missile defense systems.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

65.90% of the Fed’s total assets were U.S. Treasuries on 4/22/2026. This was the highest level since 3/26/2008, when Treasuries comprised 68.49% of the total balance sheet.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that 66.3% of workers earning over $200,000 had used AI tools at work in the past 12 months as of November 2025. For comparison, only 15.9% of workers who were earning less than $50,000 had used AI tools at work over the same time frame.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

According to a survey from PYMNTS, 40.4% of consumers were living paycheck-to-paycheck at the end of 2025

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

As of 4/10/2026, the average individual income tax refund was $3,397, up from the average refund of $3,055 in 2025. However, after adjusting for inflation, the average refund for each of the last eight years was below 2018 in real terms.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Defense stocks were down 10-20% in the first 30 trading days since Operation Epic Fury began (3/2/26 – 4/14/26). Every other conflict saw defense names rally within the first few months.

@pinkhasov - Research consultant for Arbor Data Science

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Google Search Trends shows a tight relationship between state-level searches for "free credit check" and "buy now pay later." The upper-right cluster of states may illustrate where household balance sheets are under the most pressure.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Higher health care costs continue to weigh on consumers’ financial health. In a poll conducted by KFF, consumers were most worried about affording health care, with 32% of respondents “Very worried” and 34% “Somewhat worried.”

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Diesel hit $5.40/gal in March 2026 — the highest since October 2022, when it averaged $5.32. Back then, NFIB small business optimism was 91.30. Optimism was 98.80 in February 2026. Will small businesses stay positive when faced with rising energy costs?

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

On average, passenger cars in the U.S. are now 14.5 years old, light trucks are 11.9 years old, and the total fleet is 12.8 years old. Every single category has trended higher for 30 straight years with no sign of reversal.

@pinkhasov - Research consultant for Arbor Data Science

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

Average U.S. consumer inflation expectations for the next 12 months increased to 6.20% in March 2026, according to The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Survey.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

According to Redfin, there were 630,000 more sellers than homebuyers in February 2026. This was up from 449,409 more sellers than buyers in February 2025.

[Arbor Data Science @DataArbor]

The worldwide Google Search Interest for the price of oil hit 100, which is the maximum level for the index, in the month of March 2026.
This may indicate that individuals around the world are currently tracking how war in the Middle East may impact their day-to-day lives.