Let’s continue with our Divisiveness and the Economic Challenges of 2021 series with Challenge #3 – Manufacturing and Trade. The overall objectives for U.S. manufacturing and trade that most politicians could probably agree on would include strengthening U.S. manufacturing and expanding U.S. exports. Exactly how to do that becomes the divisive issue. In the past […]
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Interesting (and Exciting) Times The UW-Stevens Point Center for Business and Economic Insight staff is very excited about this digital version of our fall report! Chief Analyst Kevin Bahr addresses the significant economic challenges America faces in 2021 during a time of extreme social and political divisiveness, focusing on the continued effects of COVID-19 and […]
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Let’s continue with our Divisiveness and the Economic Challenges of 2021 series with Challenge #2 – Controlling U.S. Debt and Federal Budget Deficits. The Federal Deficit The federal budget deficit refers to U.S. federal government spending exceeding government income. The necessity of the $2 trillion Covid-19 stimulus contributed to a record federal budget deficit for […]
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Unfortunately, the divisiveness in America is significant and undeniable. It stretches across politics, race, gender, religion and economic issues. This Center for Business and Economic Insight (CBEI) series takes a look at the economic challenges of 2021, and also incorporates the divisiveness issue into some of the discussions. For many economic challenges, the overall economic health […]
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Well, it’s everybody’s favorite time of the year – election time. The divisions in America have perhaps never been greater. This blog may not lessen those divisions, but the goal is simple – to help voters make an informed voting decision. Here’s hoping that everyone votes, and that every vote gets counted. This blog will […]
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Although a variety of factors influence the movement of interest rates, the Federal Reserve strongly influences the movement of interest rates through its policies. Through its “Open Market Operations” (the purchase and sale of Treasury securities), the Federal Reserve primarily controls the money supply in the U.S. The amount of money circulating in the economy […]
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The Financial Crisis The graph below shows the U.S. unemployment rate over the period 2001–2010. After reaching a peak unemployment rate of 6.3% in June 2003 during the recession following the turn of the century, the unemployment rate began a gradual decline and bottomed out at 4.4% in late 2006 and early 2007. Over a […]
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First a little background on measuring economic growth. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) compiles and publishes Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics, which measures the U.S. output of goods and services and is the benchmark for measuring economic growth. Quarterly GDP growth is usually expressed as a percentage that represents the rate at which U.S. economic output […]
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The Financial Crisis The United States began 2009 with arguably the worst economic landscape since the Great Depression, an economic scenario that began to unfold in late 2007. A tanking stock market, falling housing prices, increasing unemployment, and an economic recession. The root cause of the crisis – the housing market. A collage of factors […]
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Overview First, a quick long-term overview on trends in business debt. The blue line in Chart 1 below shows the amount of outstanding nonfinancial corporate business debt securities and loans from 1945 through the first quarter of 2020. The shaded areas of the chart indicate recession periods. From a long-term perspective, the amount of corporate […]
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