Monthly Archives: June 2023

Big Rise in Q1 Economic Growth

Popular Economics Weekly BEA.gov Economic growth in Q1 2023 was much better than pundits and economists predicted. GDP growth rose from its second estimate of 1.3 percent to 2.0 percent growth in the first quarter, largely because consumers spent more. … Continue reading

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US Inflation In Faster Decline

The Mortgage Corner The Whitehouse Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) has come out with a study that compares US inflation to European inflation, and finds that ours has come down faster, much more apace, in fact. It found that so-called … Continue reading

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US Inflation In Faster Decline

The Mortgage Corner The Whitehouse Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) has come out with a study that compares US inflation to European inflation, and finds that ours has come down faster, much faster, in fact. It found that so-called ‘harmonized’ … Continue reading

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American Consumers Happier

Financial FAQs American consumers can live with higher inflation, according to the Conference Board’s latest confidence survey, but can the Fed? Its survey of U.S. consumer confidence jumped to a 17-month high of 109.7 in June, reflecting a slowdown in … Continue reading

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Wrong Lessons Learned From 1970s

Financial FAQs Much talk has been made of what the Chairman Powell and US Fed officials say they learned from the inflation spiral of the 1970s. Keep employees’ wages from rising too fast, since they are that part of the … Continue reading

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Q2 GDP Growth Higher?

Financial FAQs AtlantaFederalReserve The Atlanta Fed’s GDPnow graph perfectly illustrates how uncertain are predictions for second quarter economic growth. They go literally from negative growth to 2 percent plus! Why? Because though manufacturing sector growth has been negative for seven months, … Continue reading

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Single-Family Construction Surging

The Mortgage Corner I said last week that higher new home sales and rising homebuilders’ optimism foretell a strong summer sales season if builders and existing-home inventories don’t run out of housing stock. We are now seeing more single-family construction … Continue reading

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No More Inflation?

Financial FAQs FREDppifinaldemand The Federal Reserve has announced its first rate pause since it began to raise short term rates last year. But it threatened to raise rates twice more this year after a six week pause to study the … Continue reading

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Homeowners Have Record Equity

The Mortgage Corner Meredith Whitney, a noted real estate consultant recently interviewed on CNBC’s Squawk Box, said American homeowners have a record amount of equity in their homes. The average Loan-to-Value (LTV) of mortgages has dropped to 30 percent, which … Continue reading

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Building a ‘Livable’ Climate Change Coalition

CHAPTER ELEVEN Old Town’s Revival Chapter Eleven is an excerpt from my memoir that discusses tools needed to form a community consensus. Our effort was dedicated to redevelopment of Old Town Goleta, prior to forming the new City of Goleta. … Continue reading

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