Blogs
Q & A: The Never-Ending Euro Crisis
1. YOU ARE A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, BUT YOU ARE GOING TO BE IN PARIS FOR THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? I am teaching two courses in a study abroad program at the American Business School in Paris. I’m hoping to have a great time living in Paris and to […]
Read MoreHawaii jobs report improves in July, just not fast enough
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the State Employment and Unemployment Summary today, and just like the national numbers for July, the numbers for Hawaii were an improvement over the past few months. Employers added 2,800 net jobs during the month, making up part of the 5,400 jobs lost during the previous two months. And Hawaii was […]
Read MoreOpening 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 […]
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