Still Not a Recession -- Q1 2008 GDP Remains at .6%
Wednesday April 30, 2008
Bill Pugliano /Getty Images
The BEA reported that the advance U.S. GDP growth for Q1 2008 remains at .6%, unchanged from the Q4 2007 report ... Read More
March Durable Goods Orders Down 2% From Last Year
Tuesday April 29, 2008
Matt Cardy/Getty Images
The March Durable Goods Orders Report shows that manufacturers are losing confidence in the economy. The Census Bureau reported that business ... Read More
NAFTA Pros and Cons
Thursday April 24, 2008
NAFTA has become an important point in the 2008 Presidential Campaign. Both Democratic candidates promise to either amend or back out of the agreement altogether. (Source: FoxBusiness, NAFTA Bashing Heating ... Read More
Reader Questions About Employment in the U.S. Economy
Tuesday April 22, 2008
Tim Boyle /Getty Images
A reader asks:
....Will there always be jobs in the U.S.?... What does job growth decline mean? ...How bad is unemployment? ... Read More
How Does Global Warming Impact the U.S. Economy?
Monday April 21, 2008
Regardless of what you believe about global warming, there are enough facts to prove that it has impacted the U.S. economy already. Higher global temperatures have led to polar ice ... Read More
If the Dollar Collapses Will Americans Emigrate en Masse?
Thursday April 17, 2008
A reader comments on my suggestions for surviving a dollar collapse in Is the Collapse of the U.S. Dollar Imminent?
...You suggest some practical things like transferable job
skills, mobility, diversifying one's ... Read More
Inflation at 4% Thanks to 17% Increase in Energy Costs
Wednesday April 16, 2008
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March 2008 was 4% higher than March 2007. Inflation is being driven by a 17% ... Read More
Economists Forecast Recession -- Or Do They?
Wednesday April 16, 2008
The latest WSJ poll of economists show that 75% believe we are in a recession, and that the economy has further to fall, and that housing prices won't hit bottom ... Read More
The Great Inflation Cover-Up?
Sunday April 13, 2008
A recent Fortune Magazine article pointed out that, although the core CPI doesn't show inflation, everyone feels it. Since the core CPI is what the Federal Reserve looks at when ... Read More
Has the American Dream Become a Nightmare?
Thursday April 10, 2008
A recent New York Times article, which was republished in Germany's "Der Spiegel" stated that this recent economic crisis has highlighted how the pain felt by the poor and near-poor ... Read More
Is a Dollar Collapse Imminent?
Tuesday April 8, 2008
A reader asks:
If the dollar does fall dramatically would it be an
instant fall or is it just something that is happening over a period of time. If it
would be an ... Read More
February Consumer Credit 5.9% Greater than Last Year
Monday April 7, 2008
The Federal Reserve's most recent G-19 Consumer Credit report states that revolving credit (like credit card debt) for February increased at an annual rate of 5.9%. This is slightly slower ... Read More
Fannie, Freddie and FHLB Now Provide 90% of Home Loans
Monday April 7, 2008
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks provided 90% of the financing for new mortgages at the end of 2007, according to the Office of Federal Housing ... Read More
March Job Loss Report - How It Affects You
Friday April 4, 2008
Tim Boyle /Getty Images
In March, the economy lost 80,000 jobs, according to the Employment Report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). ... Read More
Should the U.S. Return to a Gold Standard?
Wednesday April 2, 2008
In my article on Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul, I stated that a return to the gold standard would "isolate the economy from global trade. It would be unworkable." Several ... Read More
Consumer Pessimism Sinks to 1970's Levels
Tuesday April 1, 2008
Americans' expectations about the economy have plummeted to levels last seen during the oil embargo and Watergate, according to the Consumer Confidence Report released today by the Conference Board. ... Read More