Economy News

from AIER

Established 1999

New England, USA

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Daily Economy

  • The Federal Reserve and Government Debt

    •

    The Federal Reserve and Government Debt

    In the past, governments have used seigniorage to finance the purchase goods and services. Seigniorage refers to the government printing money to purchase goods and services. Seigniorage is an inflation tax. When a government prints money, inflation occurs when the money circulates in the economy. The government gets to spend the money first, purchasing goods…

  • •

    Economic Data are Mixed as Fed Members Talk Up a Rate Hike

      A large amount of economic data released over the past two days show that the U.S. economy continues to gain momentum, but the overall pace remains moderate. The current expansion is now the third longest in U.S. history, though the average pace of growth during the expansion has been tepid. At the same time,…

  • Home and Abroad on the Range: U.S. Ranchers and Trade

    •

    Home and Abroad on the Range: U.S. Ranchers and Trade

    We at AIER recently wrote an article defending free trade amid a new climate of protectionism. While the arguments for free trade apply to all sectors of the economy, we focused primarily on manufacturing examples. A recent op-ed in the Dallas News used another excellent and perhaps less obvious example – Texas cattle ranchers. Richard…

  • •

    AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative: Intensive

    The Cato Institute just published a new Handbook for Policymakers, where some attention is devoted to K-12 education. As I read the part pertaining to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), I continued to reflect on AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative (TTI) and its role in increasing economic knowledge for teachers and students. As I promised…

  • •

    Capital Spending Prospects Remain Favorable

      New orders for durable goods jumped 1.8 percent in January following revised monthly declines of 0.8 percent and 4.7 percent in the prior two months. The gain is January was largely a result of enormous increases in both defense and nondefense aircraft orders. Nondefense aircraft orders surged 69.9 percent for the month, while defense…

  • •

    Foreigners are Reducing their Holdings of U.S. Treasury Securities

    Federal government debt as a share of GDP is near an all-time high. In the third quarter of 2016, federal debt was 104.8 percent of GDP. In the first quarter of 2016, it reached a record 105.4 percent of GDP. Continuing federal deficits have required the U.S. Treasury to issue debt to cover government spending.…

  • •

    Who Benefits from Federally Subsidized College Loans?

    One important economic topic in the U.S. is the cost of higher education. College is a pathway to economic opportunity for many Americans, but tuition costs cause many Americans to begin their adult lives in debt. Student debt in the U.S. is over $1.3 trillion. In recent years, it has been common for politicians of…

  • •

    Home Prices Heading Higher

      Sales of existing homes rose 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million sales in January. There were gains in three of the four regions in the country: Sales in the Northeast rose 5.3 percent, the South increased 3.6 percent, and the West jumped 6.6 percent. The inventory of existing homes…

  • •

    AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative: Sustained Learning

      I have been reflecting on the legacy of AIER’s founder, Col. E.C. Harwood, who encouraged “the educational aspects of the Institute’s work to be specifically aimed at teachers.” In my previous blog I started to assess how AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative (TTI) fulfills the criteria of high-quality professional development. As I promised, I would like…

  • The Federal Debt is Near an All-time High

    •

    The Federal Debt is Near an All-time High

    Throughout its history, AIER has pointed out the dangers of excessive amounts of both private and public debt.

  • The Federal Reserve and Government Debt

    •

    The Federal Reserve and Government Debt

    In the past, governments have used seigniorage to finance the purchase goods and services. Seigniorage refers to the government printing money to purchase goods and services. Seigniorage is an inflation tax. When a government prints money, inflation occurs when the money circulates in the economy. The government gets to spend the money first, purchasing goods…

  • •

    Economic Data are Mixed as Fed Members Talk Up a Rate Hike

      A large amount of economic data released over the past two days show that the U.S. economy continues to gain momentum, but the overall pace remains moderate. The current expansion is now the third longest in U.S. history, though the average pace of growth during the expansion has been tepid. At the same time,…

  • Home and Abroad on the Range: U.S. Ranchers and Trade

    •

    Home and Abroad on the Range: U.S. Ranchers and Trade

    We at AIER recently wrote an article defending free trade amid a new climate of protectionism. While the arguments for free trade apply to all sectors of the economy, we focused primarily on manufacturing examples. A recent op-ed in the Dallas News used another excellent and perhaps less obvious example – Texas cattle ranchers. Richard…

  • •

    AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative: Intensive

    The Cato Institute just published a new Handbook for Policymakers, where some attention is devoted to K-12 education. As I read the part pertaining to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), I continued to reflect on AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative (TTI) and its role in increasing economic knowledge for teachers and students. As I promised…

  • •

    Capital Spending Prospects Remain Favorable

      New orders for durable goods jumped 1.8 percent in January following revised monthly declines of 0.8 percent and 4.7 percent in the prior two months. The gain is January was largely a result of enormous increases in both defense and nondefense aircraft orders. Nondefense aircraft orders surged 69.9 percent for the month, while defense…

  • •

    Foreigners are Reducing their Holdings of U.S. Treasury Securities

    Federal government debt as a share of GDP is near an all-time high. In the third quarter of 2016, federal debt was 104.8 percent of GDP. In the first quarter of 2016, it reached a record 105.4 percent of GDP. Continuing federal deficits have required the U.S. Treasury to issue debt to cover government spending.…

  • •

    Who Benefits from Federally Subsidized College Loans?

    One important economic topic in the U.S. is the cost of higher education. College is a pathway to economic opportunity for many Americans, but tuition costs cause many Americans to begin their adult lives in debt. Student debt in the U.S. is over $1.3 trillion. In recent years, it has been common for politicians of…

  • •

    Home Prices Heading Higher

      Sales of existing homes rose 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million sales in January. There were gains in three of the four regions in the country: Sales in the Northeast rose 5.3 percent, the South increased 3.6 percent, and the West jumped 6.6 percent. The inventory of existing homes…

  • •

    AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative: Sustained Learning

      I have been reflecting on the legacy of AIER’s founder, Col. E.C. Harwood, who encouraged “the educational aspects of the Institute’s work to be specifically aimed at teachers.” In my previous blog I started to assess how AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative (TTI) fulfills the criteria of high-quality professional development. As I promised, I would like…

  • The Federal Debt is Near an All-time High

    •

    The Federal Debt is Near an All-time High

    Throughout its history, AIER has pointed out the dangers of excessive amounts of both private and public debt.