Western jobs still worsening, but worsening more slowly
With four months of figures for 2010 now available, analysts are beginning to grow (slightly) more optimistic about the employment picture for the nation and the Western states this year.
Take the test: Fourth Annual Arizona Economic Confidence Quiz
How confident are you that you understand background facts on economic issues? For the fourth year running, members of the Economic Club of Phoenix were quizzed on their grasp of economic fundamentals at their final luncheon of the season, on May 18.
Is Arizona's recession over? How will we know?
Arizona employment bottomed out at the end of 2009, after a loss of nearly 300,000 jobs from the peak during 2007. But have we seen the end of the recession? Maybe not, if we are going to evaluate this current cycle in a longer term context, based on annual data.
Consumer spending is back, thanks to services
Economic indicators have been improving, albeit slowly, since the summer of 2009, confirming that the economy is on the mend. However, most observers likely would agree that full recovery — a return to pre-recession activity levels — won't happen anytime soon.
Will the U.S. stay globally competitive? It depends
Jim Owens, chairman and chief executive officer of Caterpillar Inc., is "concerned that the U.S.
U.S. economy lost steam in Q2, slower growth looms
When the first quarter ended, many analysts projected the subsequent months would bring even stronger gains in Gross Domestic Product. But the high hopes of economy watchers for acceleration in growth were dashed by reality when the U.S.
China's economy now second only to United States: What does the future hold?
On August 16 the Japanese Cabinet Office announced that Japan's second-quarter GDP was for the first time smaller than China's. A media frenzy ensued, and analysis firms raced to predict when China would surpass the U.S.
Will increasingly optimistic younger shoppers buoy holiday sales ... and the economy?
After the turkey trimmings are stowed in the fridge, some 138 million shoppers are expected to hit the mall on Friday — up 4 million from last year.
U.S. economy grew 2.5 percent in Q3
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the measure of the nation's output of goods and services, grew by 2.5 percent in the third quarter of the year, according to recently revised figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
States struggle to get back to prior peak employment
The advance report on third quarter economic growth (released October 29) was not really bad news. After all, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was up by 2.0 percent, not on the decline as it would be in a double-dip recession.