Press Releases

by Raymond J. Keating – After a decline in February, manufacturers’ durable goods orders have grown in both March and April, according to the latest report for the U.S. Census Bureau. However, inflation significantly undermines these reported gains. New orders for durable goods grew by 0.4 percent (seasonally adjusted) in April, after an increase of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will act on five pieces of legislation, including the “Extending America’s Spectrum Leadership Act of 2022” (H.R. 7783), which reauthorizes the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC’s) spectrum auction authority for 1.5 years. Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) president & CEO Karen […]

by Raymond J. Keating –   The U.S. economy continues to get battered. A pandemic struck in March and April 2020, with its effects lingering to this day. The economy took a nosedive, and has struggled to recover. And amidst this struggle, entrepreneurs, businesses, investors and workers have been thrashed by raging inflation, a decline […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  According to the latest report on state employment from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 11 states saw statistically significant growth in nonfarm payroll employment growth in April 2022 compared to the previous month. That’s underwhelming and concerning. It also lines up with at least part of the mixed […]

by Raymond J. Keating –   After the economy was hit by the pandemic in March and April 2020, the residential housing sector has been one of the strongest areas of the economy. Housing recovered and moved above pre-pandemic levels rather quickly and growth generally continued. That has been good news for the small businesses […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The U.S. Census Bureau reported that retail and food services sales were up by 0.9 percent in April. For good measure, March sales growth was revised up from 0.7 percent to 1.4 percent. Of course, these nominal gains need to be put in perspective when inflation is running hot, as […]

by Raymond J. Keating  – International trade, unencumbered by assorted government-imposed costs like tariffs and quotas, is a positive for the economy, including for small businesses. World Trade Week (May 15-22, 2022), of course, is a period in which we should take note of such benefits. Indeed, any opportunity to remind or teach people about […]

Bad Policy Fuels the Likelihood   81% of small business owners expect a recession to occur this year, according to the latest CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Index Q2 2022 (May 5, 2022). by Raymond J. Keating –   With the change in real GDP turning negative in the first quarter of this year, a question inevitably keeps […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest Consumer Price Index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed inflation slowing in April compared to the previous seven months. According to the CPI, inflation came in at 0.3 percent in April. That was down from 1.2 percent in March. However, over the past 12 months, inflation […]

by Raymond J. Keating – “The Employment Situation” report – or jobs report – released each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is one publication based on two different surveys. One survey is the establishment survey, which offers nonfarm employment numbers, and the second survey is the household survey, from which we get labor […]