Business Trends

by Raymond J. Keating- As we’ve seen a variety times over recent decades, the Federal Reserve can get distracted, or even lost in visions of grandeur, forgetting what the true job of a monetary authority is. The lone job that the Fed is fit to do is to work to maintain price stability. That usually […]

by Raymond J. Keating- According to the latest consumer credit report from the Federal Reserve, revolving credit (mainly credit cards) declined in June at a seasonally-adjusted, annual rate of 0.1 percent. Overall consumer credit grew by 4.3 percent, with a 5.8 percent increase in nonrevolving credit (which includes “motor vehicle loans and all other loans […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics latest report on job openings and labor turnover pointed to job openings, hires and quits remaining at healthy rates. The job openings rate (i.e., job openings divided by total employment plus job openings) in June came in at 4.6 percent, and has remained in a […]

by Raymond J. Keating- If you look at the media headlines, or even what’s emphasized by assorted economists, the July jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics would be a middling affair. That is, the establishment survey pointed to a payrolls gain of 164,000. For good measure, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Small Business Policy Index 2019: New York ranked 47th – or the fourth worst – among the 50 states. SBE Council’s “Small Business Policy Index 2019” ranks the 50 states according to 62 different policy measures, including a wide array of tax, regulatory and government spending and performance measurements. Small Business […]

by Raymond J. Keating- A July 30th report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis offered news pointing to improvement on personal income. The topline story was solid, with personal income growing by 0.4 percent in June, matching the monthly rate for each of the previous three months. But the important story when it comes […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Industrial production (i.e., the real output of the manufacturing, mining, and electric and gas utilities) saw no growth in June, according to the latest report from the Federal Reserve. However, manufacturing output, which makes up the biggest chunk of industrial production, grew for the second consecutive month. The main negative was […]

by Raymond J. Keating- After a weak stretch from August 2018 to February 2019, retail sales in June 2019 continued a recent streak of growth. As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. retail and food services sales grew by 0.4 in June. That followed growth of 0.4 percent in both April and May, and […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Small Business Policy Index 2019: Massachusetts ranked 38th among the 50 states. SBE Council’s “Small Business Policy Index 2019” ranks the 50 states according to 62 different policy measures, including a wide array of tax, regulatory and government spending and performance measurements. Small Business Tax Index 2019: Massachusetts ranked 32nd among […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Personal income growth, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, has stepped up over the past two months. Personal income grew by 0.5 percent in both April and May. That’s welcome after a stretch of underwhelming growth during the first three months of 2019. But as […]