The typical analysis of state and local government finances is that they are primarily a function of the economy. When the economy is growing well, and especially when it is growing faster than expected, local and state government finances prosper. When the economy grows, more people are employed and employees have larger paychecks. State income […]
A measure of confidence among American households fell for a second consecutive month, weighed down by weaker expectations for economic growth and heightened market volatility. The Conference Board said Thursday that its index of U.S. consumer confidence dropped to 128.1 in December, down from 136.4 in November. The October index reading of 137.9 was the […]
The pace of U.S. economic output growth was revised down slightly to a still-solid rate in the third quarter, but the momentum could be difficult to maintain in the year’s final three months. Gross domestic product, a broad measure of the goods and services produced across the U.S., rose at a 3.4% seasonally and inflation-adjusted […]
Investors haven’t had to worry too much about inflation lately. In the coming year, that might no longer be the case. The Labor Department on Wednesday reported that consumer prices were unchanged in November from October, putting them 2.2% above their year-earlier level. Core prices, which exclude food and energy prices to better capture inflation’s […]
Californians may have just voted overwhelmingly for more of the same—boosting Democratic majorities in both chambers of the Legislature and replacing one Democratic governor with another for the first time since the 1880’s—but many are still eager for major changes to state policy. And a majority are downright pessimistic about California’s future. Those results, which […]
Retail spending by American households rose in October, a sign outlays started on a strong footing headed into the holiday shopping season. Sales at retail stores and restaurants rose 0.8% from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That exceeded the 0.5% increase economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected.
Unfilled jobs in the U.S. exceeded the number of unemployed Americans by more than one million as the summer came to a close, a sign it is increasingly difficult for employers to find workers. There were a seasonally adjusted 7.01 million job openings on the last business day of September, the Labor Department said Tuesday. […]
American factory activity decelerated in October, while an underlying gauge of activity in factories that make metal products contracted for the first time in about two years. The Institute for Supply Management on Thursday said its manufacturing index fell to 57.7 in October from 59.8 in the previous month, the lowest level in six months. […]
A measure of U.S. consumer confidence rose in October to an almost two-decade high, as Americans expected economic and jobs growth to power ahead despite recent stock-market volatility. The Conference Board on Tuesday said its index of U.S. consumer confidence rose to 137.9 in October, the highest level since September 2000. At the same time, […]
Strong consumer and government spending powered economic growth in the third quarter, although a warning sign about the outlook emerged in the form of weak business investment. Gross domestic product—the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S.—grew at a seasonally and inflation-adjusted annual rate of 3.5% from July through September, the Commerce […]
American employers had more than seven million unfilled jobs for the first time on record this summer, reflecting a historically tight labor market that is causing some businesses to struggle to find workers. There were a seasonally adjusted 7.136 million job openings on the last business day of August, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That […]
U.S. manufacturers increased their capacity for the 16th straight month in September, fresh evidence that a strengthening economy is helping to propel a U.S. industrial rebound. The Trump Administration has prioritized increasing manufacturing investment in the U.S. with tax cuts and tariffs on a range of imported goods. Manufacturing capacity, tracked by the Federal Reserve, […]
Residents of San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood packed a community meeting on Monday night to voice their concerns about the concurrent increases of both homelessness and crime in the area. Over the weekend, San Francisco police said a mentally ill homeless man viciously attacked a man walking in Washington Square Park with his young son. […]
It’s official: Your backpack, laptop, tablet or phone — or the vehicle in which you left all these things behind — are more likely to catch the fancy of a thief in San Francisco than any other major metropolis in the country. FBI data released last week show the city had the highest per-capita rate […]
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in September, following a large improvement in August. The Index now stands at 138.4 (1985=100), up from 134.7 in August. The Present Situation Index improved marginally from 172.8 to 173.1, while the Expectations Index surged from 109.3 last month to 115.3 this month. The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey®, […]