November 20, 2009
Discounting future taxes
The federal government has borrowed a tremendous amount of money during the last two years to fight the recession. Could this borrowing have any impact on consumer behavior, especially on consumer spending? Listen
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November 19, 2009
Social Security checks
For the first time in over 30 years, recipients of Social Security checks won't get a cost-of-living increase. Why is this happening? Is the government just being stingy, or is there another logical reason? Listen
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November 18, 2009
Improvements in the housing market
There's optimism about the housing market. This is crucial, because most experts say we need a healthy housing market for the economy to recover. Is the housing market back? Listen
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November 17, 2009
Incompatible markets?
Recently, the Dow-Jones industrial average, the most-watched indicator of the stock market, broke through the 10,000 level. Since March, this index is up just under 50 percent, yet at the same time, the number of those without jobs has hit records, and the national unemployment rate has continued to climb. So how can Wall Street be doing so well when Main Street isn't? Listen
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November 16, 2009
Economic ties
Gov. Perdue recently made a trip to Japan and China to drum up economic prospects and linkages in those two important countries for North Carolina. What do these trade trips do, and how might North Carolinians be impacted? Listen
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November 13, 2009
North Carolina scores well
The much-watched National Assessment for Educational Progress test results were just released for grades four and eight in all states. How did North Carolina do? Listen
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November 12, 2009
A different explanation for the downturn
The largest economic recession since the 1930s has prompted much analysis and many explanations. There's a new perspective that puts the spark for the recession on globalization. Please explain that idea. Listen
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November 11, 2009
The challenge of renewable energy
Renewable energy, such as wind, water, solar and biofuels power, is all the rage. Everyone wants to increase our power usage from these sources and decrease it from fossil fuels, such as oil. But how are we doing with this goal? Listen
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November 10, 2009
The original reason
There's much debate going on about the effectiveness of the federal government's stimulus plan for the economy. But let's go back to basics. What was the original rationale or reason for the idea of the government spending money to jump start the economy? Listen
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November 09, 2009
Changing the state tax system
Many groups have recommended that North Carolina make some major changes to its state tax system, addressing issues like the level of rates, the size of the tax base and volatility of tax revenues over time. Do we have any ideas from other states that might be helpful in this endeavor? Listen
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November 06, 2009
The real unemployment rate
The unemployment rate receives the most attention as an indicator of the health of the economy. In North Carolina, this rate has been above 10 percent for most of the year. Yet does the usually stated unemployment rate give the most complete picture of the job market? Listen
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November 05, 2009
Is borrowing bad?
Borrowing seems to be out now. Consumers are trying to pay down on debts, and the government is receiving a lot of criticism about all the borrowing it has done to fight the recession. But have we moved too far the other way? Aren't there some good times to and good purposes for borrowing? Listen
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November 04, 2009
Gains from college
There's no doubt that getting a college degree is a big plus for most people in getting a good-paying job. But how have those gains held up in our turbulent economy? Listen
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November 03, 2009
Consumer spending
One of the economic numbers we frequently hear is that we consumers account for 70 percent of all spending in the economy, and therefore, the economy moves as consumer spending moves. Is this accurate? Listen
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November 02, 2009
A long view of the stock market
The stock market has certainly been volatile in the past year, falling dramatically and then staging a partial rebound this year. Many people are understandably very shy about investing in the market. But give us the long view of the stock market. Has it really made money for people over several decades? Listen
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October 30, 2009
Outlook for paychecks
Probably the two most important economic factors for most people are whether they have a job and if so, what they get paid. Let's focus on the second factor today. What are economists seeing in the prospects for pay and pay increases next year? Listen
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October 29, 2009
Inflation worries
Some analysts keep saying that one threat to the economy is higher inflation. This worry is prompted by all the spending and money creation the government has done in the past year to fight the recession. Are we seeing any signs yet of higher inflation? Listen
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October 28, 2009
Dueling multipliers
There's already a debate going on about the federal spending stimulus plan designed to combat the recession. The debate is about how effective the stimulus has been. What can economists say at this point? Listen
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October 27, 2009
Social Security investments
There seems to be much discussion about what happens to contributions made to Social Security by taxpayers. Many people believe this money is immediately loaned to the federal government and replaced with IOUs. Is this true, and is it something to worry about? Listen
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October 26, 2009
Social Security outlook
For the first time in 25 years, the Social Security system has had to dip into its reserve funds in order to make payments to recipients. Is this the start of a worrisome trend? Is Social Security now in trouble? Listen
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October 23, 2009
North Carolina business costs
Forbes magazine recently ranked both states and localities in their attractiveness for new businesses. How did our state and cities do? Listen
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October 22, 2009
Mortgage resets
Although there have been some recent bright signs in the housing market, concerns still linger. One of them has to do with mortgage resets. Explain what these are and why they may be an issue. Listen
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