Keating’s CyberColumn

by Raymond J. Keating – What’s the state of the American Dream with the arrival of our nation’s 250th birthday? Gallup offers some answers in a new survey. According to the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD)-Gallup American Dream Study, an open-ended question asked, “What words or phrases come to mind when you […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  There were three key takeaways from the Federal Reserve on June 17: the Federal Open Market Committee’s announcement on monetary policy, the statement on the economy and economic projections from Federal Reserve Board members and Federal Reserve Bank presidents, and the impressive debut of Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chairman. […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The April jobs report seems to be getting billed as strong because a headline number beat market expectations. But beating what the market thinks is coming doesn’t necessarily equate to strength. The April 2026 employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics turned out to be one of those […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The Competitive Enterprise Institute recently released the latest edition of its annual Ten Thousand Commandments report, authored by Wayne Crews, which documents the federal regulatory burden imposed on American businesses and citizens. Crews said, “Government regulations continue to cost Americans more than $2 trillion annually, despite efforts by the Trump administration to find ways to deregulate.” It was […]

  by Raymond J. Keating – The latest Federal Reserve Beige Book take on the economy pointed to sluggishness and uncertainty, with the Iran war naturally coming into the equation. Specifically, it was reported, “Overall economic activity increased at a slight to modest pace in eight of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts, while two Districts […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  Wrestling with the economic data has been made more difficult because, looking backwards, various reports still haven’t caught up due to the government shutdown, and looking forward, we face an onslaught of uncertainty given the war with Iran. The latest personal income report is still a bit of a laggard, […]

by Raymond J. Keating – Contrary to what’s too often spouted off in the political arena and popular media, not to mention in assorted halls of academia, free enterprise is not an us-vs.-them, a capital-vs.-labor, an owners-vs.-workers system. Instead, free enterprise stands out as a system in which labor and capital, if you will, must […]

  by Raymond J. Keating – The ills of credit card regulations spread far beyond large banks and credit card payment network companies, contrary to the assertions of advocates arguing for credit card routing mandates and interest rate caps. SBE Council has weighed in on the many problems related to U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) […]

by Raymond J. Keating – At the start of 2026, lawmakers and activists in assorted states are pushing policy measures that, if imposed, would undercut entrepreneurship, investment, and economic, income and job growth in their states. This assessment isn’t really controversial; it’s just straightforward economics. Consider the following: WASHINGTON Elected officials have been working hard […]

by Raymond J. Keating – On January 28th, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) surprised no one by leaving the federal funds rate at a range of 3.50 percent to 3.75 percent. As for the Fed’s outlook on the economy, it was more positive than previous statements, saying that economic activity had grown at a […]