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Five Things to Watch in February Case-Shiller Report

Home prices will likely continue to decrease in February because of ongoing high-interest rates and an inflation-encumbered populace. Some economists predict that Tuesday’s release of the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index will likely show that home prices continued to recede by 0.4% in February for the eighth […]

Inflation Puts the Squeeze on Charitable Food Assistance

Andy Lo first felt the squeeze of inflation in early 2021, when he noticed the price of food go up. “I used to get a lot for $100 – now one cart of groceries is almost $200,” Lo bemoaned. A freelance photographer, Lo also helps run his family’s grocery store, […]

Concept image of employment/hiring

New Jobs Report Could Signal End of Post-Pandemic Economy

The next jobs report is expected to show slower but still substantial job growth, in the latest sign of cooling due to Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.  Nonfarm employment is expected to rise by about 234,000, according to the consensus forecast among Wall Street economists surveyed by Bloomberg. That’s substantially […]

U.S. goods trade deficit grew in January to widest in three months

The US economy continue stronger than expected. The U.S. trade deficit in goods is widest gap in three months in January, according to data released Wednesday by the Commerce Department.  That month, imports surged by 3% to $325.8 billion, exports rose by 3.4% to $257.5 billion. The main driver of […]

Did the education budget get spent on disinfectant and hazmat suits? (The Chinese characters on the blackboard mean: “Welcome back students.” December 2022 photo by CFOTO/Sipa USA.

China’s local governments are struggling to pay their bills

Last September, 29-year-old graduate Alex Xu began her first day as an English teacher at a public elementary school in Shenzhen, one of the richest cities in the economic powerhouse of southern China. She was happy with her promised salary of around 11,000 yuan ($1,600) per month and around 12 […]

Electric cars at a charging station

Welcome to the “Battery Belt”

Electric Vehicles are Creating a New Manufacturing Industry Until a few years ago, the Red Roof Inn in Commerce, Georgia, was just a quiet stop on the I-85 between Atlanta and Charlotte. Even in the busy season, most visitors only stayed for a couple of nights.  But business started to […]

Worker grinding metalwork

Manufacturers Tighten Belts, as Banking Troubles Loom

Manufacturing orders saw reduced growth in February, the latest sign of an economy that is starting to cool in response to rising borrowing costs.  Orders for core capital goods–business equipment excluding aircraft and defense– rose 0.2% in February, less than the 0.3% growth recorded for the previous month. Shipments of […]

After an Explosive Start to 2023, Retail Sales Cool Down in February 

Retail and food services sales in the United States fell in February, as consumers returned to a pattern of relatively robust spending while coping with high inflation and rising interest rates.  The February Retail Sales Report, released by the U.S. The Department of Commerce on Wednesday, recorded an estimated $697.9 […]