Daily Economy
-
Autos and Gas Drag Retail Sales Down, but Outlook Remains Favorable
Retail sales fell for the second month in a row in March, pulled down by declines in motor vehicle and gasoline sales. Retail sales and sales of food services fell 0.2 percent in March following a 0.3 percent drop in February. Leading the decline was a 1.2 percent fall at motor vehicle and parts dealers.…
-
Should Colleges Share in Student Loan Risk?
In my recent AIER article on student debt, I discussed proposed incentives to encourage colleges to spend more resources on retaining rather than recruiting students. Last week, Doug Webber of Temple University discussed one of these proposals in detail for FiveThirtyEight. The suggestion is for colleges to pay a portion of their students’ loan default.…
-
Americans Feeling Good About the Economy
The University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers shows that Americans are feeling good about the economy. The Index of Consumer Sentiment rose to 98.0 in mid-April, up from 96.9 in March and 89.0 in April 2016. Those results translate into gains of 1.1 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively. The Index of Consumer Sentiment is made…
-
Money School Receives an Award
AIER’s Money School is a financial literacy program that supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence. AIER developed a curriculum that helps the survivors gain the knowledge, confidence, and connections to build their financial future. We collaborate with the Elizabeth Freeman Center of Pittsfield, Mass., which administers the program in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North…
-
Free-Market Principles Would Have Prevented the Use of Force
As airlines often do, last week, United Airlines overbooked a flight. But this time, all was not well. Overbooked flights are nothing new. According to the Federal Transit Authority, U.S. airlines convinced over 400,000 passengers to give up their seat on an overbooked flight in 2016. Thousands more passengers were simply not allowed to board…
-
Labor Market Glass Is Half Full
Following last Friday’s jobs report, new labor market indicators show some mixed results but the net take-away is that the labor market has good momentum and the U.S. economy is likely to continue creating jobs at a healthy pace over the next few months. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the Bureau…
-
Privately Progressive
What if progressives could provide health insurance to millions, send millions more to college, and keep organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts and PBS fully funded? What if those moves couldn’t be fought by the Trump administration? Private giving is often neglected in our heated and polarized debates about what the government should…
-
Long-Term Federal Budget Projections Look Grim
The federal government has run a budget deficit since 2001, which has contributed to the national debt and brought the federal debt-to-GDP ratio to over 100 percent, near an all-time high. If the government doesn’t deviate from its dangerous fiscal path, the outlook is grim. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the federal budget deficit…
-
A Value-Added Tax Is Not the Answer
Ongoing federal budget deficits have contributed to a federal debt near an all-time high. The government could reduce the deficit by reducing spending or raising taxes. Growth in the private sector could also help reduce the deficit. Some policymakers have proposed switching to a value-added tax (VAT) to raise tax revenue. A VAT would levy…
-
Don’t Panic Over Weak March Jobs Report
The headline payroll number from the March jobs report shows a gain of just 98,000 jobs in the month. That number was well below the consensus estimate of 180,000. Adding to the disappointment were net downward revisions of 38,000 to prior month’s gains. Initial reaction to such headlines have been negative. However, when all the…
-
Autos and Gas Drag Retail Sales Down, but Outlook Remains Favorable
Retail sales fell for the second month in a row in March, pulled down by declines in motor vehicle and gasoline sales. Retail sales and sales of food services fell 0.2 percent in March following a 0.3 percent drop in February. Leading the decline was a 1.2 percent fall at motor vehicle and parts dealers.…
-
Should Colleges Share in Student Loan Risk?
In my recent AIER article on student debt, I discussed proposed incentives to encourage colleges to spend more resources on retaining rather than recruiting students. Last week, Doug Webber of Temple University discussed one of these proposals in detail for FiveThirtyEight. The suggestion is for colleges to pay a portion of their students’ loan default.…
-
Americans Feeling Good About the Economy
The University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers shows that Americans are feeling good about the economy. The Index of Consumer Sentiment rose to 98.0 in mid-April, up from 96.9 in March and 89.0 in April 2016. Those results translate into gains of 1.1 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively. The Index of Consumer Sentiment is made…
-
Money School Receives an Award
AIER’s Money School is a financial literacy program that supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence. AIER developed a curriculum that helps the survivors gain the knowledge, confidence, and connections to build their financial future. We collaborate with the Elizabeth Freeman Center of Pittsfield, Mass., which administers the program in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North…
-
Free-Market Principles Would Have Prevented the Use of Force
As airlines often do, last week, United Airlines overbooked a flight. But this time, all was not well. Overbooked flights are nothing new. According to the Federal Transit Authority, U.S. airlines convinced over 400,000 passengers to give up their seat on an overbooked flight in 2016. Thousands more passengers were simply not allowed to board…
-
Labor Market Glass Is Half Full
Following last Friday’s jobs report, new labor market indicators show some mixed results but the net take-away is that the labor market has good momentum and the U.S. economy is likely to continue creating jobs at a healthy pace over the next few months. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the Bureau…
-
Privately Progressive
What if progressives could provide health insurance to millions, send millions more to college, and keep organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts and PBS fully funded? What if those moves couldn’t be fought by the Trump administration? Private giving is often neglected in our heated and polarized debates about what the government should…
-
Long-Term Federal Budget Projections Look Grim
The federal government has run a budget deficit since 2001, which has contributed to the national debt and brought the federal debt-to-GDP ratio to over 100 percent, near an all-time high. If the government doesn’t deviate from its dangerous fiscal path, the outlook is grim. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the federal budget deficit…
-
A Value-Added Tax Is Not the Answer
Ongoing federal budget deficits have contributed to a federal debt near an all-time high. The government could reduce the deficit by reducing spending or raising taxes. Growth in the private sector could also help reduce the deficit. Some policymakers have proposed switching to a value-added tax (VAT) to raise tax revenue. A VAT would levy…
-
Don’t Panic Over Weak March Jobs Report
The headline payroll number from the March jobs report shows a gain of just 98,000 jobs in the month. That number was well below the consensus estimate of 180,000. Adding to the disappointment were net downward revisions of 38,000 to prior month’s gains. Initial reaction to such headlines have been negative. However, when all the…
Newsletter
Liberty and prosperity
at your fingertips.
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact