05/09/2024

News

U.S. Economy Starting 2016 on Solid Footing

Personal spending rose 0.5% in January from the prior month, the Commerce Department said on Friday, and Americans’ pretax earnings from salaries and investments increased at the same pace.

Site has paywall
Read More

Second Q4 GDP Estimate Shows Stronger Than Originally Forecast Economic Growth

Real gross domestic product increased 1% in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to a second estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Friday. The data is an expansion from the 0.7% growth initially reported last month.

Read More

In 36 States, Unemployment Rates Still Linger Above Prerecession Levels

Unemployment rates in just 14 states had returned to or fallen below their 2007 averages in 2015: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Site has paywall
Read More

How Jerry Brown’s War on Climate Change May Only Make Things Worse  

The fact is that diverting containers from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach would add immeasurably to the CO2emissions from steamships carrying imported goods for American consumers and industry.

Read More

California Gas Prices Expected to Jump Overnight, Possibly 30 Cents by Weekend

The slide in California’s gasoline prices could abruptly end Friday, with prices possibly jumping 30 cents a gallon because of seasonal changes in the state’s refinery operations, a consumer group predicted Thursday.

Read More

Arrested Development?

When we reflect on the remarkable revival and development that’s occurred in such places as Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and Venice in recent years, we seldom think of this: Dramatically lower crime rates made that gentrification possible.

Read More

“To the Suburb!” Lessons from Minorities and the New Immigrants

What this means is that the suburbs as a whole are now equally, if not more diverse, than the populations living in most urban cores. They also are generally less ethnically segregated.

Read More

Innovation in the U.S. Relies on Foreigners, New Study Shows

Popular culture portrays innovators in the U.S. as young college dropouts. A more accurate description is older, well-educated immigrants, according to a new study.

Site has paywall
Read More

Confronting Income Inequality: Economic Growth is the Answer

Cochrane shows the power of economic growth on individuals by demonstrating when the United States enjoyed 3.5% economic growth from 1950 to 2000, an individual’s income rose from $16,000 to $50,000 (measured in 2009 dollars.) Had the economy grown at 2%–about the growth rate the country has experienced since 2000—the individual’s income would be $23,000, not $50,000. Quite a difference.

Read More

California Increases Water Allocation to Farms, Cities

The Department of Water Resources announced Wednesday that the State Water Project will increase its allocation to an estimated 30 percent of what’s been requested by the project’s customers. A month ago, the allocation was pegged at 15 percent.

Slow website
Read More

Black Workers in Many States Haven’t Seen Much of a Recovery, Analysis Suggests

Only four states have black unemployment rates that are now lower than the national average for black workers: Texas, New York, New Jersey and Tennessee. Those states also had rates that were lower than the national average for black workers before the recession hit.

Site has paywall
Read More

Finance Bulletin, February 2016

Preliminary General Fund agency cash for January was $148 million below the 2016-17 Governor’s Budget forecast of $13.178 billion.  Year-to-date revenues are $193 million below the forecasted $65.48 billion.

Read More

Paychecks, Paydays, and the Online Platform Economy

Although 1 percent of adults earned income from the Online Platform Economy in a given month, more than 4 percent participated over the three-year period.

Research & Studies
Read More

Five Trends That Will Shape the Future of the U.S. Economy

The White House released its annual Economic Report of the President on Monday, which summarizes the state of the economy and also provides insight to what’s on the mind of the president’s top economic advisers.

Site has paywall
Read More

Gig Economy Attracts Many Workers, Few Full-Time Jobs

The share of Americans earning income from digital platforms such as Uber and Airbnb is growing rapidly, but those gigs typically supplement incomes rather than replace full-time work.

Read More