Tag Archives: Federal Reserve

Austerity Must End With Q1 GDP Plunge

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly The final Q1 2014 GDP growth estimate of minus (-2.9) percent, down from the second (-1) percent drop, was a shock for several reasons. Firstly, it means our domestic economy is still sputtering, five years after the … Continue reading →

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When is Higher Inflation Good?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs The short answer is that higher inflation comes from higher growth rates, and so when an economy expands faster, then prices should also rise faster. Otherwise companies’ profits don’t rise and they won’t want to expand their businesses … Continue reading →

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Will Housing Starts Pick Up?

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner “An uptick in single-family permits was probably the most important feature of a May residential construction report that was otherwise somewhat softer than our forecast,” says the research firm, Wrightson ICAP. Total housing starts fell 6 percent … Continue reading →

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Why Low Interest Rates Are Here to Stay

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Some have called it a Putin bond rally. Or it might be new Fed Chairperson Yellen’s determination to keep interest rates as low as possible, until economic prosperity returns to Main Street. It might as well be because … Continue reading →

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288,000 Payroll Jobs Created

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Is the Great Recession finally over? It would seem so with total nonfarm payroll employment up by 288,000, and the unemployment rate down by 0.4 percentage point to 6.3 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics … Continue reading →

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Capital in 21st Century

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly All the hullabaloo re Thomas Piketty’s master economic work, Capital in the 21st Century has overlooked its real importance. Economics is finally becoming a science, rather than just social science based more on theories and formulas (such … Continue reading →

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Q1 Wage Growth Highest in 4 Years

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly This may finally be the year when jobs and the economic recovery are for real for most Americans. Median weekly wages grew at the fastest pace in the first quarter in more than four years, according to … Continue reading →

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Yellen’s Federal Reserve To Keep Rates Low

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The Fed’s FOMC minutes of their last meeting were just released, and they show the Fed intends to keep interest rates low for as long as possible, until the unemployment rate drops substantially. And the Fed’s maintenance … Continue reading →

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No Relief Yet With Pending Sales

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner We can’t yet count on Pending Home Sales, a predictor of closings in 60 to 90 days, to predict a boost to this year’s sales. They have been falling since last July, and the last spike in … Continue reading →

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What Did Janet Yellen and FOMC Really Say?

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly The moment that the Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting ended, and its comments were released, interest rates rose. Why? Because bond-holders and currency traders in particular (the dollar exchange rate rose, also), believed that the Fed could raise … Continue reading →

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