Category Archives: Center for Business and Economic Insight

What a week for world markets and coronavirus

 Comments Off on What a week for world markets and coronavirus Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

What a week – global stock markets around the world tanked as fears and health concerns increased over the coronavirus – including both the spreading of the virus and preparedness for the virus. Pick a country – Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Mexico, England, China, United States – all the markets were down significantly, generally 10% […]

More...

Real Wage Growth (or Lack Thereof): Part 1 – The Last Decade

 Comments Off on Real Wage Growth (or Lack Thereof): Part 1 – The Last Decade Tags: ,
CBEI Blog

This blog will take a look at real wage growth in the United States and look at real wage growth from a variety of perspectives and different time frames. Real wage growth adjusts the nominal (actual) wage growth for inflation. In other words, it measures the purchasing power change in wages. Generally, it’s one of […]

More...

USMCA and NAFTA U.S. and Wisconsin Trade with Canada and Mexico

 Comments Off on USMCA and NAFTA U.S. and Wisconsin Trade with Canada and Mexico Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

Following bipartisan support in Congress, in January 2020 President Trump signed the United States, Mexico, and Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA effectively modifies rather than replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the original trade agreement between the three nations implemented in 1994. Mexico has ratified the new trade deal, while the Canadian […]

More...

The Coronavirus and Financial Markets

 Comments Off on The Coronavirus and Financial Markets Tags: , , ,
CBEI Blog

Unfortunately, the coronavirus has become an increasing global health concern. As the death toll and number of people infected with the coronavirus rises, the global outbreak has also influenced financial markets. Financial markets hate uncertainty. Uncertainty can lead to market declines and significant increases in market volatility. When September 11 occurred it not only had […]

More...

The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and beyond) – Part 6

 Comments Off on The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and beyond) – Part 6 Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

Summary and Future Challenges The United States has enjoyed a prolonged period of economic growth; a record period of economic growth. Since 2010 economic growth has continued, the unemployment rate decreased to a 50-year low, and the stock market has generally increased reflecting the strong economy. The economic growth has largely been driven by factors […]

More...

The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 5

 Comments Off on The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 5 Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

Number 5: Drivers of The Stock Market The S&P 500 index is a benchmark index for measuring the performance of the U.S. stock market. It is a diversified index that contains the stocks of 500 relatively large companies (large cap) in an array of industries.  Stock prices reflect expectations of future corporate profitability – more […]

More...

The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 4

 Comments Off on The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 4 Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

Number 4: The Yet to be Paid Increasing Costs of the Federal Deficit and Debt The Federal Deficit The federal budget deficit refers to U.S. federal government spending exceeding government income. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Government spending totaled $4.1 trillion in 2018; government revenues were $3.3 trillion, contributing to a deficit of roughly […]

More...

The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 3

 Comments Off on The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 3 Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

Number 3: The Timing of Those Tax Cuts Part of what made the recent tax cuts unique is that they occurred in a growing economy with near historic lows in unemployment. Prior to 2018, recent tax cuts occurred when the economy was struggling and unemployment was relatively high. In the current economic recovery, the payroll […]

More...

The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 2

 Comments Off on The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 2 Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

Number 2: What’s Been Driving Economic Growth A country’s economic growth is measured by the change in real gross domestic product (GDP). GDP measures the value of goods and services by a country over a given timeframe (typically quarterly or annually). GDP includes four components: 1) Consumer spending, 2) Investment spending, 3) Government Expenditures, and […]

More...

The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 1

 Comments Off on The Economy: 5 Things You Should Know for 2020 (and Beyond) – Part 1 Tags: , ,
CBEI Blog

Our last blog looked at how taxes changed in 2018, specifically the tax cuts for individuals and corporations. This blog will take a look at the economy – including how those tax cuts and other factors impacted the economy, and what is likely to impact the economy going forward. The blog is split into six […]

More...