The Bowtie Economist's Daily Dose of 70-Word Wisdom


Bigger GDP, Smaller Carbon Footprint

08/23/2012

While 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…

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Watching Wages Worsen

08/22/2012

Real 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,…

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It’s a Gas!

08/21/2012

To 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…

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Apple Powers Portfolios

08/20/2012

With 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…

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It’s Ruff Outside

08/17/2012

The 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…

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Goods Going Global

08/16/2012

While 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…

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Caribbean Champs

08/14/2012

The 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…

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Ads on the Prowl

08/13/2012

A 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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Courting Disaster

08/10/2012

The Friday File: Proving love is recession resistant, the average ’12 wedding will cost $26,989 up from $26,501 in ’11 and down slightly from the peak of $28,082 in ’08. Engagement rings were the single most expensive item at $11,599.…

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