Tricks of the TradeTrump's Second TermMy EconomyI've Always Wondered ...

Loading...

0:00
0% played
Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!
Stories Tagged as

Economic data

What female entrepreneurs of the 19th century can teach us about the modern economy

by Kristin Schwab and Maria Hollenhorst
Aug 7, 2024
Economic researcher Ruveyda Nur Gozen analyzed 3,589 women-owned manufacturing businesses from the 1800s.
"Women entrepreneurs or [manufacturing] business owners hired more women compared to their male counterparts" in the 19th century, said research economist Ruveyda Nur Gozen.
Boston Public Library via Wikimedia Commons
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Productivity growth beats forecasts in second quarter

by Elizabeth Trovall
Aug 1, 2024
Real wages also grew. To some extent, productivity growth offsets the inflationary effect of pay gains.
Because productivity grew alongside wages, economists aren't concerned about a wage-price spiral.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Economic data is looking good. So why the glum vibes?

by Stacey Vanek Smith
Jun 25, 2024
Unemployment is near record lows, GDP is growing, inflation has been trending down, wages are up. But in spite of it all, people are feeling bad.
One reason for all the economic angst? A very positive reference point from earlier in the pandemic might make some consumers feel like nothing will compare.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Like the Fed, corporations also eagerly await economic data

by Justin Ho
May 22, 2024
This year, bigger-than-expected inflation reports are playing a role in determining when companies decide to borrow money by issuing bonds.
"A company is not going to come to market with a new bond deal unless they feel reasonably confident that that bond deal is going to go pretty well," says Winnie Cisar with CreditSights. Above, traders on the New York Stock Exchange floor.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

The federal government's inflation measures can feel ... wrong. How accurate are they?

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer
Apr 30, 2024
CPI and PCE can both seem to be out of step with consumers' experience.
The CPI and PCE each have their own basket of goods and services they keep an eye on to determine how inflation is doing.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

When will rates go down? The answer rests on conflicting economic data.

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Apr 4, 2024
The numbers are sending positive and negative signs, making the future of inflation, and the timing of Fed interest rate cuts, uncertain.
The numbers paint a mixed picture of the economy, so Federal Reserve officials seem to be waiting for clarity.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

The Fed loves a data buffet. What's on the menu these days?

by Justin Ho
Mar 20, 2024
Beyond government reports on inflation and jobs, it examines bank and payment processor data along with factory output, credit and rents.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell leaves a news conference. "I like to refer to the Federal Reserve as the Hoover vacuum of data," says former Fed economist Claudia Sahm.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

For public good, not for profit.

Donate

Who cares what CEOs think about the economy? You probably should.

by Matt Levin
Jun 7, 2023
CEOs may not be economic wizards. But they have access to crucial data and make decisions that influence the economy.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is among the executives who participated in the Business Roundtable's quarterly survey, which predicted GDP growth of 1.5% this year.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE
Banks in Turmoil

So how are consumers feeling about the economy post-SVB?

by Matt Levin
Mar 30, 2023
It may be hard to tell from some data out Friday, which is for February. But we may still get a read on whether consumer sentiment is changing.
February consumer spending numbers will show whether January's spending numbers were an anamoly.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

How much should we trust "seasonally adjusted" numbers these days?

by Kristin Schwab
Mar 8, 2023
January was an outlier for jobs, spending and inflation — but can we rely on seasonally adjusted data when the past three Januarys have been so weird?
Did a warm January encourage a surge in consumer spending and inflation? "It’s very hard to explain that all with weather," says Johns Hopkins economist Jonathan Wright.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE