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Kimberly Amadeo

Updated Articles and Resources

By Kimberly Amadeo, About.com Guide

Updated Articles and Resources
  • Tornado Season Damage to the Economy Created: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 Updated: Tuesday, May 21, 2013
    A record 305 tornadoes caused $5 billion in damage in one week in April 2011. How much damage does tornado season cause, and how does tornado damage affect the economy? What can be done to prevent ...
  • The History of Recessions in the United States Created: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 Updated: Monday, May 20, 2013
    The history of recessions in the United States since the Great Depression. How long ago was the last recession, and how long it lasted. The major causes of each recession.
  • Current Inflation Rate Created: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Updated: Monday, May 20, 2013
    Prices dropped .4% during the month of April. When compared to last year, inflation was 1.1%.
  • U.S. Inflation Rate Created: Monday, May 06, 2013 Updated: Monday, May 20, 2013
    The U.S. inflation rate is the percent increase or decrease in prices. It was 1.7% in 2012, while the core inflation rate was 1.9%.
  • U.S. GDP Growth Created: Wednesday, May 01, 2013 Updated: Monday, May 20, 2013
    The 2012 U.S. real GDP growth rate was 2.2%. The forecast through 2016 is moderate, between 1.9% - 3%. Compare to business cycle stage, unemployment rate and inflation for each year since 1929.
  • How Crude Oil Prices Affect Gas Prices Created: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 Updated: Thursday, May 16, 2013
    How crude oil prices affect gas prices, and how swings in oil prices affected gas prices from 2008 to the present.
  • BP Gulf Oil Spill Facts Created: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 Updated: Thursday, May 16, 2013
    On April 20, 2010, an explosion at the BP oil drill in the Gulf of Mexico created the largest oil spill in the U.S. Compare the economic impact to other environmental disasters.
  • Petrodollars Created: Monday, March 16, 2009 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    Petrodollars is the money that oil producing countries have accumulated. Where does it go and how is it changing the balance of global economic power?
  • Effect of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on the Economy Created: Monday, May 03, 2010 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    Estimates of the economic impact of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
  • How Hurricane Ike Impacted the U.S. Economy Created: Friday, September 12, 2008 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    How Hurricane Ike affected the U.S. Economy.
  • How Did Hurricane Gustav Affect the U.S. Economy? Created: Monday, September 01, 2008 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    How did Hurricane Gustav affect the U.S. Economy?
  • How Are Oil Prices Determined? Created: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    Oil prices are determined by open trading on the commodities market. The factors that affect them are primarily supply and demand, but traders perception of future trends in supply and demand are e...
  • Gulf Cooperation Council Created: Sunday, March 15, 2009 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    The Gulf Cooperation Council and its members represent the growing power of the Gulf oil-exporting countries. A list of GCC countries include every country in the Arab Peninsula except Yemen.
  • OPEC Created: Thursday, December 14, 2006 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    What is OPEC, who are OPEC members, and how does OPEC affect oil prices?
  • Has Shale Oil Production Lowered Gas Prices? Created: Sunday, March 15, 2009 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    Shale oil is currently being mined in Bakken North Dakota. It is helping to reduce America's reliance on imported oil, and bringing down oil prices.
  • What Is Demand-Pull Inflation? Created: Monday, March 19, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    Demand-pull inflation is the most common cause of inflation. It's when the demand for a good or service becomes much greater than supply, allowing producers to raise prices. Find out the circumstan...
  • What Are the Causes of Inflation? Created: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    There are three major causes of economic inflation: demand-pull, cost-push and monetary expansion. However, there are many circumstances that lead to those causes -- including the expectation of in...
  • What Is Cost-Push Inflation? Created: Monday, March 19, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
    Cost-push inflation causes rising prices by driving up the costs of supply. It doesn't occur very often, but when it does, the effects are devastating. Find out what creates cost-push inflation, ho...
  • Crude Oil Prices Definition Created: Friday, February 02, 2007 Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
    How crude oil prices are measured, and how prices impact you and the economy. Recent oil price trends and history.
  • What Makes Oil Prices So High? Created: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
    Oil prices hit $118 a barrel on February 8 2013. This was earlier than in 2012, when prices hit a recent peak of $125/barrel in March. Will prices go as high as in 2008, when they hit an all-time r...
  • Why Are Gas Prices So High? Created: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
    High gas prices closely follow high oil prices. Recent high gas prices have been caused by oil futures speculation.
  • The Dust Bowl Created: Monday, January 18, 2010 Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
    What was the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression, why did the Dust Bowl happen, and could the Dust Bowl happen again?
  • What Is Retailing? Created: Friday, March 25, 2011 Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
    What is retailing, and why is retailing important to the economy. How the economy affects retailing.
  • What Is Retail Sales? Created: Saturday, March 26, 2011 Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
    Retail sales are a effective predictor of GDP growth. That's because the retail sales report tracks a portion of personal consumption, which comprises 70% of the U.S. economy.
  • Purchasing Power Parity Created: Monday, December 03, 2007 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    Understand purchasing power parity and you can use it to accurately compare the standard of living in one country with another.
  • Debt to GDP Ratio Created: Monday, August 22, 2011 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    Definition of the debt to GDP ratio, how it is used and whether it's a good predictor of default.
  • What's the Best Way to Compare GDP by Country? Created: Thursday, April 28, 2011 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    What is the best way to compare GDP by country? Depends on why you want to compare them. Find out when to use purchasing power parity, the official exchange rate and GDP per capita. Links to offici...
  • What Is the Gross National Product? Created: Saturday, March 31, 2007 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    Gross National Product is the total economic output of a country's citizens and companies, no matter where they are located. It is also called Gross National Income. Don't confuse it with Gross Dom...
  • Per Capita Created: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    What per capita means and why it is used. Examples of GDP, GNP and GNI per capita.
  • What Is the Ideal GDP Growth Rate? Created: Friday, October 27, 2006 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    The ideal GDP growth rate is one that enable the economy to grow at a healthy rate. If growth is too fast, the economy risks inflation. If growth is too slow, the economy risks recession or even de...
  • U.S. GDP Current Statistics Created: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    The BEA's advance estimate of GDP growth for Q1 2013 was 2.5%. For 2012 it was 2.2%. Compare the BEA initial estimates to all revisions throughout the financial crisis (from Q4 2006) to the current...
  • What Is the GDP Growth Rate? Created: Friday, October 27, 2006 Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013
    The GDP growth rate tells you how fast a county's economy is growing. It compares real GDP from one quarter to the next.

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