C’Mon Man! Did the Recession Really End in June 2009?
We’ve all heard the joke when our neighbor loses a job it’s a recession, but when we lose a job to depression. Apparently, that definition of recession contains too much common sense. According to a...
View ArticleTop 3 Reasons Markets Finished February with a Win
Markets closed up on Wall Street: DJI +0.79% SP500 +0.56% Nasdaq +0.04% Gold +0.04% The markets were up because: Personal Incomes jumped and the Fed said they are ready to add more monetary steroids if...
View ArticleHigher Incomes Are Helping Out the American Consumer
Consumer spending — an important gauge for the health of the United States economy, as it accounts for about 70 percent of gross domestic product — has been closely watched since the Great Recession...
View ArticleMonday’s Mid-Day Movers: 3 Stories Driving Markets
Stocks advanced on Monday afternoon, buoyed by strong pending home sales. At 12:50 p.m.: DJIA: +0.71% to 13,817.20 S&P 500: +0.77% to 1,594.36 NASDAQ: +1.06% to 3,314.04 Gold: +$13.80 to $1,467.40...
View ArticleFriday’s Mid-Day Movers: 3 Stories Driving Markets
The major stocks were slipping Friday after reports showed optimistic consumer sentiment and investors worked to determine how this would affect the Federal Reserve’s stimulus measures decisions. As of...
View ArticleIncome and Spending Decline: Is the Recovery Neglecting Main Street?
Both consumer spending and personal income were weak in April, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on Friday. The data, which fell short of analyst expectations, suggests...
View ArticleStrengthening Retail Sales Unlikely to Last?
In the final week of May, retail sales estimates calculated by Redbook and the International Council of Shopping Centers, in conjunction with Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), spiked. So far this year, retail...
View ArticleThe 8 Least Expensive Places To Live in the U.S.
In tough times, it may be worth shopping around for the lowest prices. Real personal income gains have remained low during the recovery period, millions of Americans are still out of work, and the cost...
View ArticleIs the American Consumer Making a Comeback?
For much of the second quarter, whispers of an impending slowdown followed the majority of economic releases. But while economists are estimating that the economy expanded at a measly 1.5 to 1.9...
View ArticleThe 8 Least Expensive States to Live in the U.S.
After looking at the cheapest cities in the country to live, it only makes sense to determine which states have the lowest cost of living for Americans. With states such as California and Texas...
View ArticleWal-Mart and Minimum Wage: Showdown in Washington, D.C.
In June, Washington, D.C., lawmakers approved a bill called the Large Retailer Accountability Act that attracted a different type of national attention to the area. City lawmakers proposed that big...
View ArticleAugust Retail Sales: A Tale of Two Consumers
While retail sales have increased for four consecutive months, consumer spending figures have not been strong. The still stubbornly high unemployment rate, stagnant wages, and higher payroll taxes...
View ArticleWill Consumer Spending Drag Down Economic Growth?
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zieak/ Personal income increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.1 percent in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Real disposable...
View ArticleWill Higher Personal Income Turn Consumer Sentiment Around?
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/ Personal income in the United States (money earned from wages and salaries) increased by 0.5 percent in September, according to the Bureau of...
View ArticleAmericans Spend More and Earn Less in October
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/ Personal income in the United States (money earned from wages and salaries) decreased by 0.1 percent on the month in October, according to data...
View ArticleFourth-Quarter Economic Growth Was an Ode to the Consumer
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/ Consumers in the United States pulled off a neat trick in the fourth-quarter: they managed to spend more money without earning more money — or, at...
View ArticleGoing Debt Crazy: What the Financial Crisis Did to Credit in the U.S.
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/90994597@N05/ Credit makes the world go around — at least, it fuels the United States economy, which for the time being is the largest in the world. Consumer...
View Article5 States With the Highest Personal Income Growth
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackofspades/ The post-crisis recovery in the United States has been anything but robust. The all-important labor market has been chronically weak, and with gross...
View ArticleU.S. Consumers Kept Their Wallets Open in June
The spending metric, along with its complementary savings measurement, are very indicative of the health of the economy. The saying goes that it is not what you make, but what you keep. However, while...
View ArticleAugust Retail Sales: A Tale of Two Consumers
While retail sales have increased for four consecutive months, consumer spending figures have not been strong. The still stubbornly high unemployment rate, stagnant wages, and higher payroll taxes...
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