Tag Archives: GDP growth

Consumer Spending Down, Recession Looms?

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Wow! First-quarter GDP was paltry enough at 0.7 percent but consumer spending was even more paltry, at only 0.3 percent for the most embarrassing annualized pace since 2009. Unemployment is unusually low and consumer confidence unusually high … Continue reading →

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Slow Q1 GDP Growth Means What?

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2017, according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2016, real … Continue reading →

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Return To Low Interest Rates Boosts Housing

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The conforming 30-year fixed rate mortgage is now 3.50 percent and the so-called Hi-Balance conforming 30-year fixed rate is 3.75 percent these days for a 1 percent origination fee. And this is what has kept the demand … Continue reading →

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Consumers Too Optimistic?….Then Watch Out Below!

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Consumer confidence has risen to what might be unsustainable levels—the highest in 16 years. That was in 2000, which was at the end of a 10-year economic recovery, the longest recovery since WWII. The Conference Board’s index … Continue reading →

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Job Claims Down, GDP Revised Up, And 2017?

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Initial weekly jobless claims for unemployment benefits, the best predictor of employment trends, continues downward, but with some upward blips of late that are probably due to still severe weather in the northeast (snow) and south (tornadoes). And … Continue reading →

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Leading Indicators Signal Strong Growth Ahead, If…

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly The Republican Congress needs to abandon its obsession with repealing Obamacare, since Republicans will never agree on a replacement, and many Senate Republicans have just announced they oppose the current Republican House Trumpcare proposal. Instead they need … Continue reading →

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U.S. Will Badly Need Immigrants

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly For most of the past half-century, adults in the U.S. Baby Boom generation – those born after World War II and before 1965 – have been the main driver of the nation’s expanding workforce, reports the PEW … Continue reading →

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2017 Manufacturing Off To Good Start

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly What is happening with manufacturing? The ISM manufacturing index jumped 1.7 points in February to a 57.7 level that beats the consensus by 1.3 points. This is the strongest rate of monthly growth in composite activity since … Continue reading →

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Slower Q4 Growth, (But) Higher Consumer Confidence

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs The growth in the U.S. economy in the final quarter of Barack Obama’s presidency was left at 1.9 percent, held down by a bigger trade deficit even as consumer spending rebounded strongly. In fact, Q4 GDP growth slowed … Continue reading →

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Q4 GDP Slightly Lower—How About 2017?

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product growth slowed, mostly because of the strong dollar and weak foreign demand. But consumers held up their end with higher consumer sentiments, and businesses also began to invest in new plants and equipment … Continue reading →

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