Economy
Q & A: Council on Revenues Lowers Forecast for FY2012
1. THE COUNCIL ON REVENUES MET YESTERDAY AND LOWERED ITS FORECAST FOR STATE TAX REVENUES FOR 2012. HOW MUCH WAS THE REVISION, AND WHY DID YOU LOWER THE FORECAST. In the September meeting last year, the Council had forecast tax revenues would grow by 14.5% from FY2011 to FY2012. The council decided to lower its […]
Read MoreQ & A: What Do We Know About Income Inequality in Hawaii?
1. THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH CONTROVERSY ABOUT INCOME INEQUALITY LATELY. WHAT DO THE NUMBERS TELL US ABOUT INEQUALITY IN THE US AND HAWAII? The income numbers tell a simple story: Income inequality in both the United States and Hawaii was stable from the end of WWII until the early 1980s and has been steadily increasing […]
Read MoreBah Humbug for Unemployed Workers
If job seekers are disappointed this Christmas, the New Year may be even less bright unless Congress acts soon. The extended federal unemployment insurance benefits are set to expire in early January 2012. Barring Congressional action, most recently laid off workers will not be able to take advantage of the extended benefits. Currently, the federal unemployment insurance extensions allow […]
Read MoreQ & A: Super Committee Decisions Due Next Week
1. WE HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THE SUPER COMMITTEE AND THEIR WORK ON A DEFICIT REDUCTION PLAN DUE NEXT WEDNESDAY. WHAT IS THE SUPER COMMITTEE? The Super Committee is the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that was established by deal reached last July to raise the federal debt ceiling. That deal called for reducing […]
Read MoreQ&A: UHERO Forecast Update Released Today
1. UHERO RELEASED THE FOURTH QUARTER UPDATE TO ITS HAWAII FORECAST THIS MORNING. THE TITLE IS “HAWAII IN PAUSE MODE.” WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? This is something we’ve been talking about for several months. After strong gains in tourism and to a lesser extent in employment in 2010, the state economy has moved […]
Read MoreUS economy reaches pre-recession peak
Almost four years after the start of the great recession total output of goods and services in the US has surpassed its pre-recession peak. The Bureau of Economic Analysis first estimate of Q3 2011 real GDP (in 2005 dollars) was $13,352.8 billion, just slightly higher than the $13,326.0 billion in Q4 2007. After falling by […]
Read MoreRevisions to income data show faster recovery
Personal income estimates for the state of Hawaii were revised up by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) in their recent release State Personal Income: Second Quarter 2011. This update revises personal income data released after 2008 and reports new data for the second quarter of 2011. On the national level personal income was revised up […]
Read MoreQ&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 […]
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