Viewpoints: December 2020

2020 has proved to be a wild ride for the economy and finance. The economy posted its sharpest one-quarter decline to be followed by the largest quarterly gain. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Index recorded the 10 largest daily percentage [...]

As expected, all states (including DC) had double-digit rates of increase in real GDP in the third quarter. Nevada saw a 52.2 percent rate of real growth; DC, up at a 19.2 percent rate (Wyoming was the softest state, with a 19.4 [...]

It is almost December 23rd and that means that Festivus is almost upon us. It is traditional on Festivus to air one's grievances. And this Festivus, I got a lot of problems with you people. My problems with you include the so-called [...]

It's that time of the year when economic forecasters typically publish reams of documentation containing their expectations for the year ahead. And it is fairly safe to assume that all of these forecasters are anticipating a much more [...]

State personal incomes fell back in Q3, reflecting the lessening of the extraordinary level of income support in Q2. Every state registered a decline, ranging from Georgia’s fractional 0.6% rate of loss to West Virginia’s 29.9%. In [...]

Data on federal tax receipts paints a grim picture of the state of the US economy. Weak tax receipts are sending a signal of economic distress. Congress needs to act with urgency and pass federal support legislation to help broad [...]

The world of finance changed in 2020. Investors nowadays are willing to pay more for growth and worry less about debt. Changes in investment philosophy and practices are directly related to the actions of the Federal Reserve. Fed [...]