ThinkstockThe report on durable goods can be the most volatile of all major economic reports. It is reported each month, covering the big-ticket items that consumers and businesses buy to work for years. Trends…
ThinkstockThe U.S. purchasing managers’ index (PMI) flash reading for October came in a 51.1, just barely a positive reading and the lowest level for the index in the past 12 months. A Bloomberg survey…
ThinkstockBusiness activity in the eurozone’s private sector grew at a slower pace in October, according to data firm Markit. Its flash Composite Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) came in at 51.5 for the month, down…
ThinkstockWhy bother to retire when you can die at work? A new survey from Wells Fargo finds that, among middle class Americans, “37% Say ‘I’ll Never Retire, but Work Until I’m Too Sick or Die.'” …
ThinkstockAn employee of McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) who has worked for the company for 10 years and called the company’s employee hotline for advice on how to make ends meet was told to seek…
ThinkstockGood news is on the way for students who want to go to college. It appears as though the price hikes in college tuition are finally slowing. By now you have heard likely heard…
ThinkstockWednesday morning brought yet another delayed economic report from the Labor Department. This was the import and export prices for September, and it is a precursor to inflation readings in many counts. The good…
ThinkstockFive top European Union officials responsible for economic policy recently said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, “Our response to the crisis, which is based on an integrated approach by member states and European…
ThinkstockAs recently as a month ago, the consensus among economists was the Federal Reserve would cut back its $85 billion a month asset purchasing program. The economy appeared to be doing well enough that…
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesMany college courses will try to teach you that it is nearly impossible to beat the market through time because the broad markets are supposed to reflect all relevant information…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday morning that construction spending in August increased by 0.6% to an estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of $915.1 billion from an upwardly revised estimate of $909.4 billion in…
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsYou have been warned not to use or to trust the Labor Department’s Employment Situation report for September. This was supposed to come out on October 4, but the excuse…
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsThe federal government shutdown allowed many government agencies to stop with their normal economics reports, on which the stock market and bond market have come to depend. Now that Uncle…
ThinkstockThe president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Charles Evans, said Monday morning in an interview on CNBC that the recently ended government shutdown has thrown U.S. fiscal policy into disarray and that…
ThinkstockRising oil prices and interest rates, as well as the political wrangling over the federal budget and debt, have not seriously hampered corporate economists’optimism about future economic growth. This is according to the latest…