1: The New York cabbie has had the toughest ride
With the growth of competitors like Uber, the number of cab rides taken in New York has plummeted. Even before the pandemic, the volume of cab rides was down about 50%. The pandemic has only worsened things for cab drivers, while apparently strengthening Uber’s market share.
2: Housing affordability in the US has deteriorated over the decades
Incomes simply have not kept up with prices.
Rising home prices (and the need/desire for money) has resulted in a skyrocketing home equity withdrawals. Withdrawals are approaching levels not seen since the housing boom of the mid-2000s. Of course, this is occurring over a larger asset base than in the 2000s. Nevertheless, this is a concerning trend - especially if these withdrawals are being done to pay for consumption, cars, unnecessary home renos, etc.
While the above charts might seem alarming, the average US household is in much better shape than those in some other G7 nations (Canada). Importantly, for most G7 households, the ability to service household debt has improved since around 2007 (partly due to deleveraging, partly due to falling interest rates).
3: Global equity market capitalization now exceeds global GDP
4: Shipping costs have fallen significantly since October, as implied by the Baltic Dry Index
Note: the Baltic Dry Index is just one of many metrics to evaluate the global supply chain, so this should be corroborated with other evidence.