Fact of the Week

Small Business Insider   by Raymond J. Keating- Inflation, as measured by changes in the Consumer Price Index, has notably calmed in recent months. As reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI inflation registered 0.1 percent in June. That came after 0.2 percent in both April and May, -0.1 percent in March, and […]

Small Business Insider by Raymond J. Keating- Nothing in this world is perfect, especially when it comes to government. But we Americans came up with the best form of government known to man, with ideas, principles and specifics laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. When a president is given the […]

Small Business Insider  by Raymond J. Keating- According to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income in May showed solid growth. The 0.4 percent rise in May was up from 0.3 percent in March and 0.2 percent in April. Meanwhile, the personal consumption expenditures price index, a limited inflation measure, […]

by Raymond J. Keating- In its Federal Open Market Committee statement released on June 13, beyond the quarter-point increase in the federal funds rate to a targeted range of 1.75 percent to 2 percent, the Fed was quite upbeat in its assessment on the state of the U.S. economy. For example, the statement opened: “Information […]

by Raymond J. Keating- In the second estimate of first quarter GDP released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on May 30, the topline real GDP growth number actually got a tiny bit worse – revised from 2.3 percent real growth to 2.2 percent. The key problem remained with the consumer, with sluggish real […]

by Raymond J. Keating- With National Small Business Week upon us, it’s a great time for a reminder on the importance of entrepreneurship and small business to the U.S. economy. Successful Big Businesses Started as a Small Business First, let’s state the obvious because even the obvious somehow manages to elude many, including assorted so-called […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Looking at the latest GDP data released on April 27 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, we see that the economy continues to struggle in terms of economic growth picking up some real steam. In fact, first quarter real GDP growth of a meager 2.3 percent was actually down from […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The latest trend – if one can call it a trend – in the employment data seems to be volatility. And after big moves up in February, March was a down month, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In terms of the establishment survey, payrolls […]

by Raymond J. Keating- The topline number on the U.S. Census Bureau’s February durable goods saw a nice bounce back. While new orders declined by 3.5 percent in January, February’s growth came in at 3.1 percent. Durable goods orders matter because they serve as a leading indicator on the economy, gauging the confidence of both […]

by Raymond J. Keating- On March 21 in its FOMC statement, the Federal Reserve provided its latest decision on monetary policy, along with its take on the economy. The Fed decided to move the federal funds rate up from the 1.25%-1.5% range to 1.5%-1.75%. That wasn’t surprising, and given the still low levels, it’s not […]