The 5-Stat

Five Figures for a Pre-Holiday Tuesday — May 19, 2026

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

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Home Depot reported Q1 before the bell, the Treasury auctions $16 billion in 20-year bonds this afternoon, and gold just printed another all-time high.

May 19, 2026

−1.3%

Home Depot's Q1 Comparable Sales Fell 1.3% This Morning — the Sixth Straight Quarter of Negative Comps, With Big-Ticket Transactions Down 4.6% as Mortgage Rates Keep Renovations on Hold

Home Depot reported Q1 before the bell with revenue of $39.86 billion, comparable sales of −1.3%, and big-ticket transactions — purchases above $1,000 — down 4.6% year-over-year. CEO Ted Decker pointed to "continued macroeconomic uncertainty" and a 30-year mortgage rate climbing back to 6.45% as the primary headwinds keeping homeowners on the sidelines. Existing home sales are running at their slowest pace in three decades, and Americans don't tend to renovate kitchens they're not actually moving into. The stock opened down 3.2%; Lowe's, which reports Wednesday morning, is off 1.8% in sympathy.

Source: Home Depot Q1 FY2026 Earnings Release / CNBC

$16B

Treasury Auctions $16 Billion in 20-Year Bonds This Afternoon — the First Long-Duration Test of Foreign Demand Since Both CPI and PPI Surprised to the Upside Last Week

At 1 p.m. Eastern, Treasury comes to market with a $16 billion 20-year reopening — the first long-duration auction since last week's hot inflation prints pushed the 10-year yield to its highest level of 2026. Indirect bidders, the bucket that includes foreign central banks, took 70.5% of last month's 20-year, the strongest reading in eight months. With deficits projected at $2 trillion this year and Treasury rolling over roughly $9 trillion of maturing debt across 2026, every weak auction adds another basis point or two to mortgage rates, auto loans, and corporate borrowing. The bid-to-cover ratio at 1:01 p.m. is the number worth watching.

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury — Auction Schedule / Bloomberg

$5,127

Gold Closed at a Fresh Record $5,127 an Ounce Monday — Up 64% Year-to-Date — as Central Banks Bought a Record 290 Tons in Q1

Spot gold closed Monday at $5,127.40 per ounce, its eighth all-time high in eleven sessions and a 64% gain year-to-date — the metal's best annual run since 1979. The World Gold Council's Q1 demand report, released last week, showed central banks added 290 tons in the first quarter alone, the strongest first-quarter buying on record, with Poland, China, and Turkey leading the buy list. JPMorgan's commodity desk now sees gold at $5,500 by year-end and silver at $75. Gold rallying when investors are scared is the textbook story; gold rallying alongside stocks at all-time highs is a late-cycle one.

Source: World Gold Council — Gold Demand Trends Q1 2026 / Reuters

$2,678

The Average Annual Auto Insurance Premium Climbed to $2,678 in May — Up 11% From a Year Ago and 67% Since 2020 — While Florida and Louisiana Drivers Now Pay More Than $4,000

Insurify's mid-year analysis puts the national average annual full-coverage premium at $2,678, up 11% from May 2025 and a 67% increase since 2020 — outpacing nearly every other line item in the CPI basket over the same stretch. The drivers are familiar by now: vehicle prices that surged during the pandemic and never fully came back down, repair costs inflated by sensor-packed bumpers and headlights, and rising claim severity as more drivers carry only minimum coverage. The geographic spread is brutal — Florida averages $4,234 and Louisiana $4,128, while Vermont drivers pay $1,121. Personal auto insurance has been a top-five contributor to year-over-year CPI for fourteen straight months.

Source: Insurify — 2026 Auto Insurance Trends Report / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI

$36,000

The Average American Wedding Now Costs $36,000 — Up 13% Over Two Years and More Than the Median U.S. Household Earns in a Full Calendar Quarter

The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, released last week ahead of peak season, pegs the average U.S. wedding at $36,000 — the highest in the survey's 19-year history. Venue alone runs an average $13,200, followed by reception food and drink at $7,000 and the photographer at $3,100. Roughly two-thirds of couples now go into debt for the day, and the average engagement has stretched to 16 months — statistically long enough for a meaningful share of couples to break up before they make it down the aisle. June will see something on the order of 240,000 U.S. weddings, which is a lot of new credit card balance forming at a moment when APRs are pinned above 21%.

Source: The Knot — 2026 Real Weddings Study / Wedding Report