Overall economic growth has been abysmal in the United States. But what about differences among the states? Are there states showing strong growth relative to the rest of the nation? The Bureau of Economic Analysis released its estimate of first quarter state gross domestic product. National state GDP growth registered 1.2 percent. As for the […]
The July jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was good news in terms of the broad numbers, but feeds into a striking recent paradox in our economy. First, in terms of the payroll survey, employment increased 255,000 in July. That’s two strong months of job gains in a row, after an eight-month dramatic […]
While we’re deep into the 2016 election season and political pundits remain focused on the presumed Democrat and Republican presidential nominees, there’s still much left to do on the congressional calendar. One of the most pressing items our lawmakers will face in coming weeks is the future of the nation’s energy legacy. Currently, House members […]
Hey, who needs a bit of good news? The results of a recent Gallup survey show Americans still love small business, but aren’t too fond of socialism. Gallup asked Americans if they had a positive or negative image of various terms relating to the economy. Thankfully, the top three positive responses were for “small business” […]
The latest numbers reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics continued an incredibly long stretch of poor labor productivity. Let’s consider four key points on the productivity front. In the first quarter of this year, nonfarm labor productivity declined by 1 percent. That came on the heels of a 1.7 percent decline in the […]
So, what ails the good old U.S. of A.? According to the results of a recent Gallup poll, Americans point to the economy and government. When asked what’s the most important problem facing America today and leaving it as an open-ended question, 28 percent of those who responded identified the economy or jobs, while 17 […]
News the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis is now publishing quarterly gross domestic product data by state seems at first like a development about which only an economist could get excited. In reality, this offers more valuable information for small business owners in terms of evaluating how their local economies are performing and where they’re […]
Super Tuesday has come and gone, but there’s still a long way to go before the presidential nominees are selected. What does all of this mean for small businesses? It’s not all that clear given we haven’t heard too much about small business on the campaign trail or in the debates. And some might ask: […]
Tax reform is a big issue on the presidential campaign trail. It’s been touched upon in the debates, with some candidates offering specific plans to overhaul the system and others focusing more on tax increases to pay for spending programs. Each of the remaining GOP candidates has proposed tax reform plans with significant positives – […]
The poor performance of the U.S. economy actually got much worse late last year, according to the first estimate of fourth quarter gross domestic product from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Real GDP growth slowed dramatically in the fourth quarter to a mere 0.7 percent. That compares to a sluggish 2 percent growth in […]