Category Archives: Economy

Leading Indicators Show Moderate Growth

Popular Economics Weekly ConferenceBoardLEI The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. decreased by 0.3 percent in April to 119.2 (2016 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in March. (But) The LEI is now up 0.9 percent over … Continue reading →

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Booming Retail Sales Belie Recession Worries

Financial FAQs FREDretailsales The St Louis Federal Reserve graph of April retail sales tells us more than a thousand words that there is no imminent recession. Maybe not even next year either, because consumers continue to shop, with auto sales … Continue reading →

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What Really Caused This Terrible Inflation?

Popular Economics Weekly FREDcpiindex The St Louis Federal Reserve graph tells us what is going on with April’s plunge in the Consumer Price Index. It’s due to a moderation of soaring gas prices. But food, shelter, and supply shortages haven’t … Continue reading →

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Why Call A Recession Now??

Popular Economics Weekly NBER.org We are at a classic top of the business cycle when the demand for products is sky high and all the factors that restrict supply are causing red hot inflation numbers. The Federal Reserve then must … Continue reading →

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What Recession–Part II

Financial FAQs Orders for U.S. durable goods—long-lasting goods such as computers and cars rose in March, and business investment rebounded after the first decline in a year, signaling that the U.S. economic activity is still on a growth path, despite … Continue reading →

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What Recession?

Financial FAQs FREDretailsales Retail sales are rising 5.5 percent YoY, which is a sign that the economy is still booming, and the possibility of a recession years away. That is, if inflation begins to taper of its own accord, which … Continue reading →

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What Is the New Normal?

Popular Economics Weekly FREDcpi What will the future look like with the COVID-19 pandemic about to end, and a possible new cold war with Russia just beginning? It is a time when governments come to the rescue. We’ve seen it … Continue reading →

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What Stagflation?

Financial FAQs TradingEconomics U.S. service sector activity that powers two-thirds of economic activity above graph) is surging more than ever, according to the Institute of Supply Management non-manufacturing survey. It is growing per 58.3 percent of managers surveyed, with the index … Continue reading →

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Strong Job Growth Continues

Popular Economics Weekly MarketWatch The unemployment rate slid to 3.6 percent in March from 3.8 percent in February, the government said Friday. The big news was that with an additional 431,000 nonfarm payroll jobs added in March, a total of … Continue reading →

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Consumers Still Optimistic (Long-Term)

Popular Economics Weekly What should we be looking for in Friday’s upcoming unemployment report? We hope that the torrid hiring pace—1.7 million nonfarm payroll jobs created in just the last three months—will continue a bit longer, despite the Ukraine invasion … Continue reading →

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