Based on a columnist's scorecard comparing 2026 GDP data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis with IMF full-year estimates, California's $4.5 trillion economy would rank No. 4 globally if it were a nation, just ahead of Japan. Texas ($3.1 trillion, No. 8), New York ($2.6 trillion, No. 11), Florida ($1.9 trillion, No. 16) and Illinois ($1.3 trillion, No. 20) also rank among the world's top 20. At the other end, Vermont's $52 billion GDP ranks No. 101 of 191 economies, while Wyoming ($57 billion) ranks No. 97.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on whittierdailynews.com ↗
Keywords
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related news
- California , 4 other states rank among world 20 largest economies – East Bay Times
Columnist Jonathan Lansner compares 2026 GDP for the 50 states and the District of Columbia with 191 nations, finding California's $4.5 trillion would rank No. 4 globally, just ahead of Japan and behind only the U.S., China and Germany. Texas ($3.1 trillion) ranks No. 8, New York ($2.6 trillion) No. 11, Florida ($1.9 trillion) No. 16, and Illinois ($1.3 trillion) No. 20. At the other end, Vermont's $52 billion ranks No. 101, Wyoming's $57 billion No. 97, Alaska's $79 billion No. 90, and Montana and South Dakota, each at $86 billion, both rank No. 88. The comparison uses GDP in U.S. dollars without inflation adjustment, combining mid-year Bureau of Economic Analysis data with full-year IMF estimates.
- California consumer spending sees second - largest cooling in US
California's inflation-adjusted consumer spending grew 16% over the six years ending in 2025, down from 24% in the six years through 2019, the nation's second-largest slowdown after Oregon. Californians spent $2.8 trillion in 2025, 13% of the nation's $20.9 trillion total, but the state's growth ranked only 29th among states, below the national 19% gain. The columnist attributes the slowdown to cash-strapped households cutting back to essentials and slow population growth amid the state's high cost of living. Slower spending growth also hurts the state's merchants and service providers. California was one of 13 states whose growth rate declined.
- A New Flat ( Sort of ) Tax Proposal for California
Economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford, winners of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics, have proposed a near-flat tax scheme for California based on Hall and Alvin Rabushka's plan. Under it, businesses and households both pay a flat 19% rate: businesses are taxed on profits excluding wages, pension contributions and capital investment, while households pay 19% only on wages above an adjustable exemption, keeping the system progressive. The article cites a 1985 version in which a family earning $25,000 paid an average rate less than half that of the highest earners. The author notes that this is still a tax on income and recalls that the federal FairTax consumption-tax proposal never advanced in Congress. California voters will decide in November on a one-time 5% tax on assets above $1 billion, which Manhattan Institute polling suggests is likely to fail.
- New car sales in California revs up in 3rd quarter ; down from 2025
- Yes, California, you're the world's fourth-largest economy – Daily Bulletin
Columnist Jonathan Lansner's calculations put California's 2026 GDP at $4.53 trillion, up 5% from 2025, which keeps the state narrowly fourth in the world behind the U.S. ($33 trillion), China ($22 trillion) and Germany ($5.5 trillion). The spot is tenuous: Japan's $4.34 trillion economy, which shrank 2%, is only slightly behind, while the U.K. ($4.27 trillion) and India ($4.06 trillion) follow. The article notes that 2026 is not over, the full picture will come with the IMF's April 2027 update, and a roughly 3% rise in the dollar has boosted dollar-denominated GDP totals. Revisions to historical data had ranked California fifth from 2019 through 2025 rather than fourth from 2024 as previously reported, so 2026 would be its first time in the No. 4 spot if the latest numbers hold.
- Yes , California , youre the world fourth - largest economy – Daily News
According to columnist Jonathan Lansner, California's latest GDP of $4.53 trillion, up 5% from 2025, keeps the state at the world's fourth-largest economy when compared with IMF estimates for nations. The ranking is tenuous: Japan is only slightly smaller at $4.34 trillion and shrank 2% over the past year, while the UK ($4.27 trillion) and India ($4.06 trillion) are also close behind. The article notes that 2026 is not over, the IMF's next full update comes in April 2027, and the roughly 3% rise of the U.S. dollar also boosts the figures. Because of historical revisions, California ranked fifth from 2019 through last year, so 2026 would be its first year in the No. 4 spot if the latest data holds.
Related markets
Latest news
- Musk's wants to merge SpaceX and Tesla: Here's what to know
Musk said SpaceX and Tesla have formed special committees to study a merger, which would be worth about $3.5 trillion combined and would be the largest corporate deal in history. SpaceX, valued at about $2 trillion after a record listing this year, absorbed Musk's AI startup xAI in February, while Tesla is valued at about $1.5 trillion. Musk holds about 82 percent of SpaceX's voting power but only about 20 percent at Tesla. Dan Ives puts the odds of a deal at 90 percent by early 2027, though Musk called the requirement of a majority of all Tesla shares 'quite a high hurdle'. Loyal retail investors hold an estimated 25 to 27 percent of Tesla shares, and legal obstacles appear slight because both companies moved their incorporation to Texas from Delaware.
- CoreWeave and Nebius Stocks Are Crashing. Time to Buy the Dip?
Shares of Nebius and CoreWeave each fell 25% in the week of October 12 to 16. The sell-off stems from the yield on CoreWeave's debt in the secondary market surging to 15%, versus roughly 5% on Treasuries, which pushes the debt into 'distressed' territory and signals doubts about its ability to meet obligations. Nebius sold off in sympathy as a fellow neocloud company. The bigger concern is that both companies must keep issuing debt to fund data centers, and if yields are high at issuance, the assumption of nearly unlimited cheap capital could be challenged. The author says it is unclear whether now is the time to buy.
- Disney’s multiplatform Super Bowl plan frustrates ABC affiliates
ABC station owners are irritated that Disney is airing the Super Bowl across several platforms, including Disney+, ESPN2, NFL Network and ESPNU, even though the game is already on ABC and ESPN. A station group CEO estimates that the combined platforms could cut broadcast ad revenue by up to 35% compared with last year. Local affiliates typically earn about 3% of annual ad revenue from the Super Bowl and pay network owners reverse retransmission fees, but Disney+ lacks geofenced ad insertion, so affiliates cannot sell ads to streaming viewers. Disney says national commercials will be identical on all platforms and that streaming major live events is standard industry practice. Super Bowl LX drew 125.6 million viewers in February.
- Meta’s deal to keep Zuckerberg in California adds fuel to wealth tax debate ahead of election
Meta says Mark Zuckerberg will remain in California for eight years and has created a new stock plan that could help cover his taxes if Proposition 40, a 5% tax on Californians worth over $1 billion, passes on Election Day on Nov. 3. According to a filing released with its third-quarter earnings, Meta will issue non-voting Class C shares starting in January, and Zuckerberg can sell or transfer up to 20% of the shares granted to him without affecting his majority voting control. The filing says Zuckerberg’s leadership is crucial to the company’s growth and its AI ambitions, including Meta Superintelligence Labs. Most of the tech industry opposes the measure, while a recent Citrin-Politico poll found 46% in favor and 43% against, suggesting it may fall short of the majority support it needs.
- Nasdaq sell-off: A momentum unwind 'for the record books'
Matt Stucky, chief portfolio manager for equities at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, calls Thursday’s sell-off in the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) a momentum unwind “for the record books.” He says the market spent the first half of 2026 driven by a beta and momentum trade led by semiconductors, but in the third quarter, as rates rose, money shifted into quality stocks. He does not think the sell-off is justified by fundamentals, arguing that institutional portfolio managers swapping out of factor positions can drag down whole baskets of stocks. In semiconductors, spot rental rates for Nvidia Blackwell chips are higher than a month ago, showing tightening compute supply, even as financing costs rise and investors worry about neocloud business models and the rising cost of insuring their bonds.
- Dune launches real-time data feeds covering 200 onchain trading venues
Blockchain analytics platform Dune has launched real-time market data feeds covering more than 200 onchain trading venues, aiming to bring this data into the systems of traditional financial institutions. The feeds draw trade data from 12 blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana and Base, about one second after execution, covering both spot trading on decentralized exchanges and perpetual futures on Hyperliquid and Lighter. Early clients include quant funds, market makers, asset managers and bank trading desks, which use the data to assess liquidity and compare prices, though Dune did not name them. Meanwhile, the tokenized stock market has grown sharply, with distributed value reaching $3.58 billion, but 16 companies, including Microsoft, Alphabet and Goldman Sachs, have objected to their shares being traded on OKXICE’s proposed platform, and liquidity remains fragmented.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.