Category Archives: Economics

The Supreme Court’s Virginia uranium ruling hints at the limits of federal powerThe Supreme Court’s Virginia uranium ruling hints at the limits of federal power

By Cale Jaffe | June 18, 2019 Virginia has the authority to ban uranium mining under state law, even as the federal government regulates the processing of nuclear fuel under the Atomic Energy Act, the Supreme Court has ruled. Neil Gorsuch, joined by the court’s longest-serving and newest conservatives – Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh… Read More »

The Rise of Digital Wallets and Mobile Payments

(NewsUSA) | June 18, 2019 More businesses and countries worldwide are embracing digital payments as a way to make e-commerce more efficient and create a smoother transaction experience for consumers. Digital wallets, such as uBUCK, offer a dollar-backed stable token built on Waves blockchain technology, one of the fastest blockchains available. uBUCK’s technology allows for… Read More »

Facebook claims Libra offers economic empowerment to billions – an economist is skeptical

By Jay L. Zagorsky | June 18 2019 Facebook is joining the cryptocurrency craze. Should we be concerned? The social network site on June 18 said it’s launching a new cryptocurrency called Libra with the help of 27 partners, including MasterCard, Visa, ebay and Uber. In simple terms, Libra is meant to replace the paper… Read More »

Hey Bernie! The Constitution DOES Protect Our Economic Rights

By Kevin Judge | June 16, 2019 Earlier this week, Bernie Sanders proclaimed that Government must protect Americans economic rights he says are not covered in the Constitution. Included were the right to quality health care, a living wage, affordable housing, education etc., etc. The problem here is that Bernie’s brand of socialist economics is… Read More »

Inflation is healthy for the economy – but too much can trigger a recession

By Richard S. Warr | June 12, 2019 In a healthy economy, prices tend to go up – a process called inflation. While you might not like that as a consumer, moderate price growth is a sign of a healthy, growing economy. And, historically at least, wages tend to go up at about the same… Read More »

The value of an old-fashioned visit to your bank branch

By Laura Doering | June 12, 2019 The rise of online and mobile banking has changed the financial service industry as we know it. Customers have long been able to trade the onetime weekly trip to their local branch for a few easy clicks from the convenience of their home or workplace. Instead of having… Read More »

May jobs report suggests a slowing economy – and possibly an imminent interest rate cut

By Richard Grossman| June 07, 2019 The latest jobs data suggests an interest rate cut may be imminent. The Labor Department reported on June 7 that U.S. nonfarm payroll employment increased by 75,000 in May, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6%. This level of job creation was well below economists’ forecasts of about 185,000… Read More »

Businesses Don’t Wait for Politicians to Raise Wages

By Kevin Judge | June 04, 2019 The other day I passed a McDonald’s, where the sign beneath the golden arches usually has the latest meal deal, instead revealed they are offering $11 an hour jobs to start. McDonald’s is generally considered the poster boy for minimum wage jobs. The name comes up almost every… Read More »

Trump’s Mexico tariffs don’t make sense, but Americans will pay a steep price anyway if they go into effect

By Christina Fattore | June 04. 2019 The Trump administration says it intends to slap a 5% tariff on every medium-sized car, avocado and other Mexican import beginning June 10 – all almost US$1 billion worth that crosses the border into the U.S. each day on average. The president is using the policy as a… Read More »

Getting poorer while working harder: The ‘cliff effect’

By Susan R. Crandall | June03, 2019 Forty percent of all working-age Americans sometimes struggle to pay their monthly bills. There is no place in the country where a family supported by one minimum-wage worker with a full-time job can live and afford a 2-bedroom apartment at the average fair-market rent. Given the pressure… Read More »