It is only March, and already 34 companies with assets exceeding $100 million have filed for bankruptcy in 2025. Unicus Research has provided the data, and the trajectory is clear. If the pace holds, the year will see approximately 144 such mega-bankruptcies, a financial crisis brewing in real time.
Sectors feeling the weight of this collapse include healthcare, the auto industry, restaurants, and retail. These industries, already strained by inflation, high interest rates, and shifting consumer behavior, are seeing once-formidable firms collapse under the pressure. The consequences ripple far beyond corporate boardrooms, with thousands of layoffs feeding into the Challenger Job Cut numbers and store closures aligning with Coresight’s data. The impact is severe, and it is only accelerating.
Retailers are being hammered by declining foot traffic, shrinking discretionary spending, and competition from e-commerce. Department stores, once staples of American commerce, continue their slow decline as consumers gravitate toward online and discount shopping. In the auto sector, the picture is just as bleak. EV manufacturers, once riding high on investor hype, are faltering under the weight of production costs, slowing demand, and dwindling subsidies. Reality has set in, and it is unforgiving.
Healthcare is not immune. One of the latest mega-bankruptcies has come from a major healthcare provider, reflecting the growing challenges of reimbursement issues, staffing shortages, and rising operational costs. This collapse is not just a corporate event—it affects patients, hospitals, and the overall accessibility of care.
The numbers do not lie. A bankruptcy rate of 12 per month signals deep structural weaknesses in the economy, ones that will not be solved by short-term fixes or political rhetoric. Unicus Research has laid out the facts, and they are alarming. More layoffs, more closures, more instability—this is the landscape for 2025, and the worst may still be ahead.
Sources:
https://x.com/UnicusResearch/status/1904184424163611077
https://contrarianunicus.substack.com/p/macro-monday-corporate-bankruptcy-cb8