Category Archives: Center for Business and Economic Insight

Why is Inflation so Stubborn?

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Why is Inflation so Stubborn?

The August inflation report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that although the annualized rate of inflation declined slightly, inflation remained at a relatively high rate. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 8.2 percent (seasonally adjusted) for the 12 months ending in August, down slightly from the July rate of 8.5%. Month […]

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The Yield Curve and Predicting Recessions

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The Yield Curve and Predicting Recessions

Is the U.S. heading into a recession? Historically, the yield curve has been a pretty good indicator of pending recessions. However, it is not foolproof, and cannot predict the duration and severity of recessions. The chart below shows the Treasury yield curve on September 8, 2022. The yield curve is a graphical representation of the […]

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Demand, Supply and Car Prices

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Demand, Supply and Car Prices

There are two broad factors that affect prices – demand and supply. Generally, inflation is caused when there is a change to one of these factors. If the supply of goods is reduced for a given demand, prices (inflation) will increase until a higher price level is reached that balances the demand to match the […]

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Global Gas Prices and Inflation

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Global Gas Prices and Inflation

It’s not just a U.S. thing, it is global. Increased gas prices and inflation are not just confined to the U.S. They are global problems because global factors have impacted gas prices and contributed to inflation. The unprovoked military attack by Putin against Ukraine created uncertainty in global energy markets given that Russia is the […]

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Bahr on WPR: Understanding the stock market’s big dip

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Stock Market

The S&P 500 dropped precipitously Monday, June 13, pushing it into a bear market. The drop was caused by investors selling off their assets in anticipation of the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates to control inflation. Prof. Kevin Bahr, chief analyst of the UW-Stevens Point Center for Business and Economic Insight, joined host Rob Ferrett […]

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CBEI Central Wisconsin Spring 2022 Economic Report

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CBEI

Just Like Old Times by Scott Wallace, Ph.D.Director and Editor, CBEI; Professor of EconomicsUW-Stevens Point School of Business and Economics Photo Album | Digital Report Recent times have been both interesting and challenging with the spread of the Delta variant interrupting a return to normalcy that we were all looking forward to. Now, the emergence […]

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Insight Spotlight: The Growing Trend to Overcome the Labor Shortage

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by Christopher Spranger,Founder and CEO of Spranger Business Solutions It was Wednesday March 11, 2020, and my wife and I were out to dinner with friends at a local sports bar. As we waited for our food, one of the TVs was showing the broadcast of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder playing against the Utah […]

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Bahr on WPR: How the Federal Reserve is moving to address inflation

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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell

With the Fed expected to raise interest rates, Prof. Kevin Bahr, chief analyst of the UW-Stevens Point Center for Business and Economic Insight, joined host Rob Ferrett on WPR’s “Central Time” on March 16 to talk about the last time that happened, and what we can expect to see in the economy as a result. […]

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Global Oil vs. U.S. Oil Prices, and Prices at the Pump

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Global Oil vs. U.S. Oil Prices, and Prices at the Pump

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that inflation increased 0.8 percent in February on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.6 percent in January. For the 12-month period ending in February, the annualized inflation rate was 7.9 percent, the largest 12-month increase since 1982. A key driver of U.S. inflation has been surging […]

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Wisconsin Trade with the Russian Federation

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Wisconsin Trade with the Russian Federation

No matter how long the military conflict continues, the growing atrocities committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine will likely result in the United States and its allies sustaining economic sanctions against Russia for a prolonged period of time. This blog will take a quick look at international trade between Wisconsin and Russia. Although overall […]

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