Tag Archives: NBER

Recession Markers Have Evaporated Except for ECRI’s Recession

Written by Steven Hansen This past  week Industrial Production (analysis here) finally exceeded the July peaks, and now all of the economic broad measures are at 2012 highs.  On 07 December 2012, Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI), a New York-based  … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Obamacare: Will Insurance Pooling Lower Consumer Costs?

by Leemore Dafny, NBER Private health insurance plays a pivotal role in the U.S. healthcare system. Private insurers account for one out of every three dollars spent on healthcare, and even this figure understates the importance of the sector: many … Continue reading

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Evaluating Recession Forecasts: Read Critically

by Jeff Miller For investors who believe that stocks eventually reflect the fundamental strength of the companies, understanding the business cycle is crucial. Since popular sentiment and stock prices are often excessively negative about economic prospects, there is great opportunity … Continue reading

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Normalized GDP is the “Real” Growth

Normalizing GDP to population gives a much more meaningful description of the business cycle, especially for the recovery phase. Continue reading

Posted in GDP | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Environmental and Energy Economics

Numerous federal policies are directed at the reduction of gasoline consumption, with the aim being to improve environmental quality and to reduce oil imports. Recent research covers a range of such policies, including gasoline taxes, fuel-efficiency regulation, and alternative fuel subsidies. Continue reading

Posted in NBER, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Recession Is Over – Now Where Are the Jobs

Weekly economic review: The recession ended 15 months ago but employment shows no signs of significant recognition of the event. Other areas of recovery are also weak. Continue reading

Posted in ECRI WLI, Employment, Weekly Economic Summary | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

GDP and Recessions – A Valuable Metric (but Overused)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the most widely followed metrics when people try to assess economic health. GDP recovery in this recession is relatively weaker for the current recovery than for any of the ten prior recessions. Other econometric that are used to date recessions are also weaker than for previous recessions over the past 60+ years. Continue reading

Posted in Economic Indicators (USA), GDP | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment