Economic Perspective

Third quarter growth

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

The economy got a good shot in the arm recently with the announcement that economic growth was positive in the third quarter, and by a substantial amount. What does this mean, and in particular, does it mean the recession is finally over? Listen

Discounting future taxes

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:52 -0500

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

Social Security checks

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

Improvements in the housing market

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

Incompatible markets?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

Economic ties

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:15:39 -0500

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

North Carolina scores well

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

A different explanation for the downturn

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

The challenge of renewable energy

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

The original reason

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

Changing the state tax system

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

The real unemployment rate

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

Is borrowing bad?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:10:24 -0500

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

Gains from college

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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

Consumer spending

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

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