Expectations are falling, and the idea that the third quarter would mark the return to growth for U.S. companies has fallen flat. Companies in the S&P 500 will report earnings in the coming weeks, and the expectation is that they will once again report declines....
Amid positive job reports and a surging stock market, one factor still presents a major obstacle to long-term economic growth in the US: a persistent slackening of productivity. We are currently in the midsts of the longest downward slide in worker productivity since the 1970’s,...
U.S. presidential elections are a marathon, not a sprint, and this race has been exceptionally grueling—both for the candidates and the public at large. But more concerned than the average U.S. citizen are small business owners, who have responded to the uncertainty by delaying new...
Stalled growth, disappearing jobs and a sense of foreboding are the defining characteristics of today’s economy. So, what or who is to blame? According to one theorist, the process of “creative destructions,” whereby the death of one business or industry gives rise to another, is...
After another harsh winter, the American economy is stabilizing and beginning to shrug off concerns of a prolonged slowdown or recession. According to the latest economic gauges, industrial production is increasing, inflation is firming, and the housing sector is continuing to pick up momentum. All of...
In a time when consumers are holding their funds close and avoiding spending, a recent report found that businesses are being even more cautious. These findings are likely to weigh heavily on Federal Reserve officials as they consider raising the Federal Fund Rate, despite the...
The U.S. economy's sluggish start to the year is validating the wait-and-see approach the Federal Reserve has taken with raising interest rates. Business investments, constrained by falling corporate profits and diminishing exports, and held back by the strong dollar, have both played their role in the...
New York State has experienced much warmer temperatures over the past thirty to forty years, and the sea level along New York’s coast has increased about 12 inches over the past 100 years. Though past trends do not necessarily predict future trends, New York officials...
Between plummeting oil prices and a global growth slowdown, the United States economy ended 2015 with a dip — but January's spending figures and new data on the previous quarter suggest that American consumers are brushing off the jitters. This is heartening news for small...
An increasing number of economists and corporate leaders say the risk of the U.S. dipping into a recession is rising. More than anything, they have pointed to the global growth slowdown and convulsions in financial markets. According to the Wall Street Journal’s monthly survey of economists,...