Category Archives: Politics

What Happened to Rising Wages?

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Everything should point to higher wages and salaries ahead for employees with a 4.3 percent unemployment rate and record corporate profits, but corporate profits go mainly to their executives and owners (and their stockholders) these days. The … Continue reading →

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Another Great Jobs Report?

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs No economist predicted another 209,000 private payroll jobs would be created in July, or that the last 2 months’ total would be 431,000, or the y-t-d total would be 1,290,000 payroll jobs created this year. But they should … Continue reading →

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Great Q2 GDP Growth, But Q3?

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Second quarter GDP came in at a 2.6 percent annualized growth rate. This is one of the best showings of the last 2 years and keeps overall growth at 2 percent; because first quarter’s growth was downwardly … Continue reading →

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Full Employment Is Here, But No Inflation (Revised)

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs The Bureau of Labor’s JOLTS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey out Tuesday showed a huge boost in hiring and shrinkage of available jobs. What to make of it with almost nonexistent inflation, and the Fed’s Janet Yellen … Continue reading →

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Minimum Wage Raises Should Boost Employment, Spending

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Minimum wages are about to rise in several cities, and eventually states. San Francisco and Los Angeles minimums rose last weekend to $14 and $12 per hour, respectively, and ultimately to $15 per hour by 2021. But Seattle, … Continue reading →

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Interest Rates On the Rise!

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Central Banks everywhere seem to be following our Federal Reserve in selling bonds they had accumulated to keep interest rates low for so long—in fact, since the end of the Great Recession. They also seem to be crossing … Continue reading →

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What Health Care System Do Americans Want?

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly This is a quiz. What country had the second-highest mortality from noncommunicable conditions — like diabetes, heart disease or violence — and the fourth highest from infectious disease? Also, what country has the highest chance of dying … Continue reading →

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Housing Shortage Continues

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner It was very good news that new-home sales rose nearly 3 percent in May to a 610,000 annualized rate. The report, always volatile, included a big upward revision to April which however, at 593,000, is still the … Continue reading →

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Why Home Sales Rising Fast, Construction Lagging?

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner We are once again in a housing conundrum. May Existing-home sales just surged 1.1 percent to 5.62 million units, after falling for several months. And housing starts fell for the third straight month an unexpected 5.5 percent … Continue reading →

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Why Did Fed Raise Rates Again?

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly U.S. growth cycles have averaged about 8 years since WWII, yet the Federal Reserve just announced they were raising their overnight rate for the third time—to 1.25 percent. It also forecast that the unemployment rate could fall … Continue reading →

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