Category Archives: Center for Business and Economic Insight

Tariffs and Trade

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Tariffs and Trade

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has indicated that he would place a 10% tariff on all products imported into the United States if elected president, with potential tariffs of up to 60% on goods imported from China. This blog will discuss recent tariffs, trade, and the potential impact of a 10% (at least) blanket tariff […]

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Job Growth

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CBEI Blog - Job Growth

In January, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its preliminary estimate for fourth quarter 2023 economic growth in the United States. Economic growth is measured by changes in Gross Domestic Product, which is the value of goods and services produced in a given time period. Although rising interest rates slowed the economy in the first […]

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Social Security – Too Much to Retirees?

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Social Security

2024 will likely be another year of wrangling over government expenditures by Congress. Social Security is the largest government expenditure and expected to grow in the future due to the aging of the American population. Does Social Security pay too much to retirees? This blog provides a quick example of what Social Security typically pays to […]

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2023 Global Stock Market Review

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2023 Global Stock Market Review

2023 began with more pessimism than optimism for global economies and stock markets. Global inflation was rampant in 2022; as a result, central banks around the world began raising interest rates in an effort to battle inflation through lower economic growth and consumer demand. Stock prices reflect expectations of future corporate profitability, so higher interest […]

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Economic Review 2023 and What’s Ahead for 2024

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Kevin Bahr, CBEI

This report will provide a summary of the 2023 performance for a myriad of economic measures and offer a glimpse of what’s on the economic horizon for 2024. In addition, the underlying factors that drove the economic changes in 2023 will be explored. Overall, and relative to most developed countries, the U.S. economy performed extremely […]

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Insight Spotlight: Practicing Storied Leadership: Why Business Leaders Should Tell More Stories

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by Reed Stratton, Associate Professor of Business What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the Vegas Strip is everywhere. Your email inbox is the Vegas Strip. Your chiming, pinging, glowing cell phone is the Vegas Strip. Even your walk through the store for milk is the Vegas Stip. The Vegas Strip, with its glittering, […]

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CBEI Central Wisconsin Fall 2023 Report and South Wood County Population Health Project

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South Wood County Partnership

The Central Wisconsin Community As our Center for Business and Economic Insight (CBEI) mission statement underscores, our goal is to contribute to the success of the Central Wisconsin region through the dissemination of useful knowledge and information. It is in this spirit that we proudly present this issue’s special report, South Wood County Population Health […]

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Federal Government Spending, Budget Deficits, and The Federal Debt

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Federal Government Spending, Budget Deficits, and The Federal Debt

Funding the federal government (and government shutdowns) has become a hot political topic lately. This blog will explain what the government spends its money on, how the government is financed, and how and why federal debt has increased. Federal Government Spending Federal government spending consists of three major categories: mandatory spending, discretionary spending, and spending […]

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Inflation, Interest Rates and the Labor Market: How They’re Related (or Not)

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Inflation, Interest Rates and the Labor Market: How They’re Related (or Not)

In September, the Federal Reserve decided to keep its target interest rate, the federal funds rate, unchanged. In March 2022, the Federal Reserve began the upward trek for interest rates, with 11 rate increases occurring through August 2023. The objective of the rate increases was to lower consumer and business spending, which in turn would […]

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PBS Wisconsin: Kevin Bahr on the Condition of the US Economy in 2023

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Kevin Bahr on PBS Wisconsin

UW-Stevens Point finance professor emeritus Kevin Behr joins PBS Wisconsin to explain how economic measures showing a booming job market, higher pay, falling inflation rates and interest rate hikes are impacting Wisconsin. Watch Now

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