ThinkstockThe Conference Board reported Tuesday morning that its consumer confidence index for the month of April fell slightly from 83.9 in March to 82.3. The expectations index was essentially unchanged, rising from 84.8 in…
ThinkstockThe median household income of Americans has not increased in a decade, when adjusted for what has been modest inflation. The poverty level has not fluctuated either, stuck around 16%. Those figures could get…
If aging Americans need to work longer because their retirement funds are small, then the average age of retirement should rise accordingly. And, according to new research, it has. A new Gallup poll shows…
ThinkstockBeing competitive among the manufacturing nations of the world amounts to more than just low wages. In fact, several emerging market nations known for their low-cost manufacturing are no longer cheaper than the United…
ThinkstockIn 2013, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio in the fast food industry was more than 1,000-to-1. Workers’ situation must be improving, though, because the ratio was 1,200-to-1 in 2012. McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) CEO Don…
ThinkstockThe final April reading on the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 84.1, near its highest reading since 2007. A survey of economists by Bloomberg had a consensus estimate for a…
ThinkstockWide open spaces, clean air and low population density appear to be attractive to many Americans. That, at least, may be among the conclusions of a new Gallup poll. The states at the top…
ThinkstockRussia paid for the instability it has helped create in Ukraine and the surrounding areas. S&P cut its foreign currency rating to BBB-/A-3 from BBB-/A-2. The outlook on the currency remains “negative.” In its…
ThinkstockThere are more than 600,000 bridges in the U.S. and the average age of a bridge is 42 years. Drivers make approximately 210 million trips daily across deficient bridges in the nation’s largest 102…
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsThe U.S. Labor Department is out with another weekly jobless claims reading. Weekly claims rose by 24,000 to 329,000 in the past week, and the prior week’s reading was revised…
ThinkstockWere prior reports on durable goods kept lower due to weather? It seems so. The March durable goods report from the Department of Commerce came in at a headline reading of 2.6%. Bloomberg was…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Census Bureau releases some interesting studies throughout the course of the year. Considering that it has the Census report, it does after all have access to solid data about the population. Wednesday’s…
ThinkstockThe Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index increased in March, its third consecutive gain. More importantly, the Conference Board suggests this hints at accelerated growth likely into the summer. That will be good news for…
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) is out for the month of March, and this is often used as one of the first super-regional economic readings. It is used to track economic activity…
ThinkstockAttribute it to the benefits of shale. North Dakota, much of which sits atop of the Bakken Formation, one of the largest natural gas formations in the world, has a nationwide low unemployment rate…