Friday Fast Five - 4/17/2026
by Hodges Investment Team, on April 17, 2026
Five interesting things that Hodges Capital research analysts discovered this week...
#1 CRUISING ALONG: Fortune Business Insights estimates that the global cruise tourism market reached $86.3 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow from $94.5 billion this year to $204.9 billion by 2034, representing an annual growth rate of more than 10%. North America dominated the cruise tourism market last year, accounting for approximately 37% of global market share.
#2 FARM INCOME: The USDA’s latest forecasts indicate a 0.7% decline in farm profits to $153.4 billion for calendar year 2026. Despite this expected decline, net farm income remains above its 20-year average in inflation-adjusted dollars. Direct government farm payments are forecast to increase by $13.8 billion to $273.9 billion this year.
#3 BABY BUST: According to the CDC’s preliminary 2025 birth data, U.S. fertility continues to decline, with births rising among older women but falling more sharply among younger women. The total fertility rate fell from 1.599 in 2024 to 1.574 in 2025, a 1.6% decline. It is once again at a record low (excluding the brief 2021 rebound) and has now declined for 10 consecutive years.
#4 TEXAS POWER: Data center power consumption in Texas is currently the fastest-growing source of electricity demand in the U.S. ERCOT data suggests that active data centers consume between 9,500 and 10,000 MW of power today—roughly 10–12% of the Texas grid’s peak demand, or the equivalent of 2–3 million homes. Furthermore, ERCOT projects that data center energy demand could increase fourfold by 2028 and account for 30–50% of peak grid load.
#5 KEEP ON TRUCKING: U.S. spot truck rates (excluding fuel surcharges) grew by an average of 16% in March but slowed from February’s above-seasonal pace, according to Goldman Sachs Research. Including fuel surcharges, March spot rates were up approximately 53% year over year.
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