Rebound in U.S. capital goods orders signals an expanding economy

New orders for manufactured goods fell last month but remained strong— weathering the storm and signaling an expanding economy.  New orders for durable goods sank by 4.5% in January, the biggest decline reported since April 2020, according to the Commerce Department....

U.S. Trade Deficit Reaches Record High in 2022 Driven by War and Inflation

Both imports and exports increased strongly during the first half of the year and slowed down towards the end of the year, in line with the cooling of the domestic and international economy

The Future of Institutions: Will Hiring Practices at Museums Change Following a Pandemic Disruption?

Juline Chevalier packed her bags in June of last year when her position at the Minneapolis Institute of Art was eliminated.  After five years and six months of working as a museum educator at the MIA, she returned to Virginia, where she continued working as the...

Weak U.S. Job Growth in April Casts Doubt on Recovery

The job market stumbled last month, dampening hopes for rapid economic recovery amid the coronavirus vaccination rollout, while crystallizing debate over the health of the economy. U.S. employers added a meager 266,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department reported...

5 Things to Watch For in March’s International Trade Report

The March international trade report is expected to deliver news of another record-breaking trade deficit. The U.S. is importing and exporting more, a sign that the economy is finding its legs as it recovers from the pandemic-induced recession. The trade gap is...

5 Things To Watch For In March’s Personal Income and Spending Report

The March report on personal income and spending — an important indicator of Americans’ financial security and consumer confidence in the economy — is expected to signal turbocharged spending and stockpiles of wealth because of additional federal stimulus, easing...

Five Things to Watch for in March’s Durable Goods Orders Report

The Commerce Department will release the advanced durable goods report on Monday. Economists expect a positive report after February's slight decline, the first decline in nine months. With high vaccination rates in March, the report should signal an ever-fast-growing...

Online Scams Spiked During COVID — Expect Them To Stick Around

After Meera was laid off from her job in December because of the coronavirus (she asked to only be identified by her first name), she posted her resume to the job search site Indeed. Soon after, Meera received an email offer to make nearly $3k a month as a...

How Small Craft Retailers Are Navigating the Choppy Waters of Recovery

Aria Velasquez · How small craft retailers are navigating the choppy waters of recovery - Dismal Science ARIA VELASQUEZ: Kelly Straub had high hopes for her business, Shirsty Cat Designs, at the beginning of last year. The independent yarn dyer from Montgomery County,...

February trade gap largest on record, a sign of the US wobbling back towards normalcy

The U.S. trade deficit hit a record high in February, the result of increased consumer spending during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding economic crisis. Imports and exports both fell in February, resulting in a trade gap of $71.1 billion,...
5 Things To Watch For In April’s CPI Report

5 Things To Watch For In April’s CPI Report

When the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the April consumer price index (CPI) report on Wednesday, May 12 at 8:30am, economists forecast a 0.2 percent increase in the overall CPI, which includes all indices, and even smaller gains in the core CPI, which exclude...

Five things to watch in February Case-Shiller Report

Five things to watch in February Case-Shiller Report

Home prices likely continued to increase in February because of low interest rates and tight housing inventory. Some economists estimate that tomorrow’s release of the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index will likely show that home prices rose...