Econ70
The Friday File: The fine art market isn’t overpriced because it’s not part of the normal economy. Prices for fine art are determined by the super-rich — and they have been doing very well. So, if you think income inequality…
Read MoreWhile GDP grew by 1.8% in ’11, carbon emissions fell by 2.4% and total energy consumption fell by 0.5%. Better yet, since ‘90, GDP has risen 66% while carbon emissions have risen just 9%! A major reason for this is…
Read MoreReal median household income (RMHI) fell from $51,190 in ’09 to $50,046 in ’10, a drop of $1,144! Not one state showed an increase. Between ’08 and ’09, only ND experienced a rise. Between ’07 and ’08, KS, LA, NY,…
Read MoreTo reduce greenhouse gases, the UN gives firms more carbon credits (that they can sell on the open market) the more destructive the gases they capture and destroy. Rather than ridding the planet of these gases, firms now, ironically, produce…
Read MoreWith today’s record closing price of $665.55, Apple, Inc. has a market value of $621 billion, far outpacing #2 Exxon Mobile at $405 billion. More interesting, Apple can now lay claim to being the most valuable company ever, edging Microsoft…
Read MoreThe Friday file: After rising for decades, and peaking in ’06, the number of households with a pet fell between ’06 and ’11. The decline was due to the lousy economy and more Americans living alone. In ’91 there were…
Read MoreWhile manufacturing and exports have helped lead the nation out of the financial crisis, the importance of manufactured exports on state economies varies tremendously. TX leads the way with almost $9,000 per capita in manufactured exports, with LA next at…
Read MoreFDIC insurance covers up to $250,000 per bank account. During the ‘08 financial crisis, Congress passed the Transaction Account Guarantee (TAG), providing unlimited insurance for non-interest bearing accounts. While TAG might have made sense then, it doesn’t now. TAG not…
Read MoreThe US (population 300 million) won 104 Olympic medals besting China (population 1.3 billion) with 88 medals, but which country was #1 after adjusting for population? On a per capita basis, Grenada was first, winning a medal for every 111,000…
Read MoreA recent report shows that advertisers spent $31.7 billion on Internet ads in ’11, slightly more than the $30 billion spent on cable TV ads. Broadcast TV remained on top, receiving $38.5 billion from advertisers, but for how much longer?…
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