Tag Archives: construction spending

More Jobs Key to 2012 Growth

Popular Economics Weekly How do we know what to look for in 2012? We should not be looking at the headlines, which tend to trumpet totally conflicting news. But more accurate information is available—usually several months later. For instance, jobs’ … Continue reading

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Will Real Estate Recover in 2012?

The Mortgage Corner The recovery road may remain bumpy for real estate in 2012 but construction spending continues to increase from low levels of activity, and so housing starts. Much of it is multi-family apartments going to both new households … Continue reading

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2011—The Year That Wasn’t

Popular Economics Weekly What do we make of this year’s economy, with its ups and downs that have confused even the ‘experts’; and what to make of 2012? Believe it or not, the congressional gridlock that caused the S&P Treasury … Continue reading

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Austerity (That) Doesn’t Work

Financial FAQs It turns out that austerity doesn’t work, when it means tax cuts for the wealthy but spending (and so income) cuts for the rest of US. But austerity does work when applied to the wealthiest who have used … Continue reading

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Rock Bottom Mortgage Rates Increase Sales

Financial FAQs It seems that the lowest mortgage rates since the 1950s are making a difference. New-home sales rose 6 percent and existing-home sales increased 10 percent in September, “affirming that a sales recovery has begun”, said the National Association … Continue reading

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Economic Interdependence Is Good

How interdependent we have become! The lessons of this recession and the ongoing recovery, is that going it alone won’t work—whether when drilling oil wells, or evading financial regulations. We even have to thank our dependence on foreign trade with … Continue reading

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The Great Stimulus Debate

Financial FAQs It is called the Great Debate, because it began during the Great Depression. Should government stimulus be used to bring an economy out of recession-depression? Or, should private business play it out, and the weakest fall while the … Continue reading

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