Blogs
Q&A: Fed Act to Lower Mortgage Rates
1. THE FEDERAL RESERVE MET FOR A TWO DAY MEETING ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. AFTER THEIR MEETING, THE STOCK MARKET FELL SHARPLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY. WHAT DID THEY DO! The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the state of the US economy and to decide on monetary policy […]
Read MoreFed acts to lower mortgage rates
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the state of the US economy and to decide on monetary policy actions. This meeting is a particularly interesting meeting because of the clear signs of economic weakness over the past six months and the relatively new phenomena of the direct political […]
Read MoreQ&A: Employment and Unemployment in Hawaii
1. HAWAII’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASED FROM 6.1 PERCENT IN JULY TO 6.2 PERCENT IN AUGUST. WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? The basic reason is that the number of Hawaii’s people in the labor force and without jobs increased by 900. One reason is the continuing weakness in the tourism this summer with declines in June and […]
Read MoreHonolulu GDP posts 1.7% growth in 2010
Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Honolulu metropolitan area grew by a moderate 1.7% in 2010 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis GDP by Metro Area, Advance 2010 released this week. While Honolulu’s moderate growth places it within the third quintile of all U.S. metropolitan areas, growth of 1.7% is a significant improvement over […]
Read MoreOil Prices and Hawaii Travel
Oil prices have fluctuated widely in recent years. In our recent County Forecast Report, we discussed how oil affects the overall economy. Because fuel costs represent about 40% of airline expenses, they can have a large effect on the profitability and behavior of airlines, and ultimately the Hawaii tourism industry. The price of oil has a […]
Read MoreThoughts on President Obama’s proposed Jobs Act
President Obama proposed a larger-than-expected $447 billion American Jobs Act. More than half the package is for an expansion of this year’s payroll tax cuts and similar relief for employers. Tax cuts of this type may have limited bang per buck, but they can be implemented quickly, important given the urgency of the jobs problem. Also included […]
Read MoreRecession or Not, US Growth Will Continue to Disappoint
The US economy is once again flirting with recession. While most data still suggest continued growth, recent events have clearly turned in a more negative direction. Coming weeks will show whether the damage is bad enough to tip the economy into a full-fledged downturn. In the mean time, this period of slower growth is taking […]
Read MoreLa Croix receives 2011-2014 NSF support for Cliometrics Annual Conferences and World Congress of Cliometrics
Professor Sumner La Croix (UH Economics, UHERO, and UH Global Health and Population Studies) and Professor Ann Carlos (University of Colorado Economics) have received a grant from the National Science Foundation to support two annual Cliometrics Conferences in 2012 and 2014 and a World Congress of Cliometrics in 2013. The 2012 annual conference will be held in […]
Read MoreIn Weak Economy the Fed is prepared to act
The US Bureau of Economic Analysis released a downward revision to its estimate of second quarter Gross Domestic Product this morning. They now estimate that the US economy expanded at a 1.0% annualized rate during the second quarter, down from 1.3% in their advance release The primary factors leading to the downward revision were a decline in […]
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