Blogs
Opening the Floodgates of Chinese Visitors
Mainland Chinese are travelling abroad in huge numbers. Twenty years ago, fewer than 4 million Chinese traveled abroad each year. Most of these were traveling for business, official travel, or education. They were not allowed to go abroad just for fun. Not any more. Bolstered by exploding numbers of leisure travelers, China now boasts 70 […]
Read MoreUS Employment Report— more of the same
As the election heats up, the US economy is doing everything it can short of an outright recession to dampen President Obama’s re-election prospects. In the first seven months of 2012, an average of only 144,000 jobs have been added each month. The July Employment Situation released this morning by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics was […]
Read MoreIt’s the Economy, Stupid! (Or Is It?)
The popular media is frequently citing opinion polls that indicate preferences for one presidential candidate or another. Historically, analysts have found that economic conditions are among the most important factors influencing voting behavior, and this may be especially true this year amid ongoing economic challenges. In order to find a causal link between economic conditions […]
Read MoreQ & A: Annual Hawaii Forecast: Tourism Hot, But Broader Growth Still Elusive
1. UHERO RELEASED ITS ANNUAL HAWAII FORECAST TODAY WITH THE TITLE, “TOURISM HOT, BUT BROADER GROWTH STILL ELUSIVE.” THIS HAS BEEN THE STORY FOR QUITE A WHILE, RIGHT? Yes, tourism continues to expand at an impressive rate, and in many ways has more than recovered from the 2008-2009 downturn. But with a few exceptions, the rest […]
Read MoreUHERO Annual Hawaii Forecast: Tourism Hot, But Broader Growth Still Elusive
Hawaii’s recovery is proceeding along two very different tracks. The tourism industry is on a tear, posting impressive rates of growth. With a few exceptions, the rest of the local economy is going nowhere. Nevertheless, the best residential building conditions in years and pending public projects set the stage for a construction upturn in 2013. […]
Read MoreAnother weak employment report—still waiting on the Fed
The US economy has slowed markedly over the past several months with only 145,000 jobs added in April and May combined. The June Employment Situation released this morning by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics was more of the same. Another month of weak job growth. The 80,000 jobs created in June fell short of even the […]
Read MoreStill waiting for tourism boom to spread
Barring a complete meltdown of the European Union—by no means a sure thing—Hawaii’s visitor industry will break all records for arrivals and nominal visitor spending this year. The Hawaii Tourism Authority just released May data showing few signs of slowing. US visitor arrivals were up 8 percent compared with May 2011, while May arrivals from Japan (seasonally […]
Read MoreA Weak Employment Report for May
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the State Employment and Unemployment Summary today, and just like the national numbers for May, the numbers for Hawaii were disappointing. In fact, Hawaii had one of the largest month-to-month percentage declines. “Alaska experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decline in employment (-0.8 percent), followed by New Mexico (-0.6 percent) and Delaware […]
Read MoreQ & A: Europe’s slow moving train wreck
1. BY FRIDAY OF LAST WEEK, US STOCK’S HAD GIVEN UP ALL OF THEIR 2012 GAINS, BUT THEN THE MARKET RALLIED BY ALMOST 3% IN THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF THIS WEEK. WHATS GOING ON? US stocks peaked this year in early April, but then weak economic news caught up with the market. A […]
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