Category Archives: Consumers

Middle Class Finally Gets A Raise

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly A new rule announced by the Obama administration will, effective December 1, double the overtime-pay salary threshold and set it to automatically increase every three years. It’s about time. The salary of employees has been diminishing since … Continue reading →

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Why Too Little Inflation?

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Where’s the inflation? It is barely rising, as consumers still wait for bargains, before they decide to buy. The overall Consumer Price Index in April rose just 1.1 percent, and is up 2.1 percent less food and energy … Continue reading →

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Housing Affordability Improving

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Spurred by a modest reduction in mortgage interest rates and favorable home prices, nationwide housing affordability in the first quarter of 2016 posted a slight increase, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity … Continue reading →

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JOLTS Jobs Report Highest In Years

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the number of job openings was little changed at 5.8 million on the last business day of March, but it is actually up 11 percent over March 2015. Methinks the … Continue reading →

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Service Sector Economy Booming

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs There was a huge jump in the U.S. service sector economy, our largest sector, some 67 percent of all U.S. economic activity. This is why we keep growing while most other developed and emerging economies aren’t. “The Institute … Continue reading →

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April Private Payrolls Increase 171,000

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly But government payrolls lost 11,000 jobs, so total nonfarm payroll employment increased just 160,000 in April. Over the prior 12 months, employment growth had averaged 232,000 per month. The April jobs report was well below Wall Street’s … Continue reading →

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Fannie Mae, GSEs, Even More Important

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner With news that Fannie Mae, one of the GSEs now managed by the Federal Housing Finance Authority (and US Treasury) just showed a $1.1B profit in Q1, but must pass all of it profits to Treasury since … Continue reading →

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Bernie’s Economic Platform—Part II

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won their respective Indiana primaries, and we know why. In February air-conditioner manufacturer Carrier, a wing of United Technologies, announced that beginning next year it will move its Indianapolis production to Mexico … Continue reading →

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Consumers Boost Q1 GDP Growth

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Consumer spending, largely on services, helped hold up first-quarter real GDP which came in at just 0.5 percent rate, but is still up 2 percent YoY. Consumer spending (personal consumption expenditures) rose at a 1.9 percent rate, … Continue reading →

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Fed Stays in Accommodative Mode

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly It looks like Janet Yellen’s Fed will continue to keep interest rates low this year, based on the latest FOMC press release. This is great news for the housing market, in particular, but not necessarily for consumers … Continue reading →

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