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U.S. Construction Employment
Jobs are everything to an economy. Period. Good news is that job growth is now coming back, with an average 188,000 net new jobs created per month thus far this year. Not all sectors are growing jobs,...
View ArticleFederal Reserve Bank Lights the Fuse on Tapering Quantitative Easing — But It...
The Federal Reserve has been electronically printing up $85 billion of money per month since September 2012 and buying $45 billion in Treasuries and $40 billion in mortgage backed securities from...
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U.S. Adds 175,000 Jobs in Still Chilly February
The U.S. economy warmed up a bit in February adding 175,000 net new jobs (nonfarm payroll). In the past 12-months, the country has added an average 180,000 net new jobs each month. After reporting a...
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A Look Into Employment Revision Numbers — a.k.a. Why I Like 12-Month Moving...
Wow. The payroll report for February jobs this morning was well received by Wall Street as the S&P 500 promptly hit an all-time record high. That’s a lot of faith in a single number, and you would...
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Another Top-10 List — The Most Frugal Cities in Which to Reside
The best places to live for many are not always the most expensive locations. Housing, taxes, schools, incomes, crime rates, quality of life and other factors all contribute to a best place to live....
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Another Top-10 List — Worst States for Retirement Security
As I approach the big SIX ZERO this year, retirement and related considerations are taking a place in the planning process more than any time prior. Fortunately, retirement seeds were planted decades...
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Another Top-10 List — Best States for Retirement Security
Many have requested the positive side to my previous blog which discussed a study examining the 10 worst states with retirement security focused on potential future retirement income, retiree costs and...
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March 2014 Existing Home Sales Down 7.5 Percent From a Year Ago — Median...
March existing home sales were just released by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), showing a 7.5 percent decline in sales from March 2013. Sequentially from February, sales were essentially...
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Just as the Miserable Weather in December, January and February Froze Housing...
Just as the miserable weather in December, January and February froze housing markets, the warming spring is spilling into the economy. April job growth pegged 288,000 net new jobs – the largest since...
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Residential Building Permits — Single Family is Flat But Multifamily is...
As housing continues to recover, the laggard in the sector is new housing sales. New home sales were essentially flat in the first quarter of this year when to the same period of 2013 – 107,000 in 2014...
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Another Top-10 List — The Best States to Do Business Per Chief Executive
Where are the best places to do business? There is always going to be some subjectivity when comparing anything given the consumer’s intended use and their respective needs. That is true even when it...
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Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington — The New Normal For Real and the Economy
Each year I have a new speech title, with this year being The New Normal for Real Estate and the Economy. In many of the markets I deliver an economic forecast, that speech title is truly indicative of...
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U.S. Now Has More Jobs Than Any Time In History — May 2014 Jobs Report
With the 217,000 net new jobs added in May, the U.S. now has more jobs than any time in history (on a seasonally-adjusted basis). After having lost 8.71 million jobs from January 2008 to February 2010,...
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Another Top-10 List — Best Cities for Working Woman
Woman have grown from filling 29 percent of all jobs in 1967 to almost 50 percent today. In 2011, four-in-ten mothers were the primary breadwinner for their family. Thus the income for many is critical...
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Almost the Mid-Year State Jobs Update — May 2014
Everyone who knows me is aware that my moniker as economist is that Jobs are Everything. Period. That’s why I do not even discuss unemployment rates in my presentations since demand for residential and...
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Another Top-10 List — The Best (and Worst) Forecast Metros for Economic...
Economists have a simple rule when forecasting: give a number, or give a date, but never both at the same time. That way you can never be wrong. In a report prepared for the U.S. Conference of Mayors,...
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Almost Mid-Year MSA and Divisions Jobs Report
Now that we are past the treacherous weather of the first quarter of this year, jobs and related economic activity can be viewed with increased resolution. It’s good to be back to a more normal...
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State and Local Tax Collections and Related Employment
State and local governments literally had a head-on collision with the plunging economy during the recession and many locales were pressed just to remain solvent. Jobs were cut and services were either...
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New Homes Sales in May Finally Ignite — Rocketing Up 18.6 Percent...
New home sales have finally punctured the logjam that suppressed sales. May 2014 saw an annualized seasonally adjusted rate (SAAR) of new home sales of 504,000, up 18.6 percent from April 2014 and a...
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Another Top-10 List — Best Recession Recovery Cities
While the recession officially ended in June of 2009 according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, many cities are still struggling to get back to normal, so-to-speak. Yet other cities are...
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