Survey suggests pandemic draining vigor from Midwest economy

April 1, 2020 7:43 am Leave a comment

A survey of supply managers in a nine-state region of the Midwest and Plains is showing more signs of the coronavirus pandemic's disruptive economic effects.

Tagged with: coronavirus economy

Bank executives say Wisconsin’s economy should remain strong

December 26, 2019 8:29 am Leave a comment

Wisconsin's economy should remain in good shape and a solid year of lending is expected in 2020, according to a survey of state bank executives.

Tagged with: economy

Voters await economic revival in a part of pro-Trump America

February 7, 2017 12:16 pm Leave a comment

Robbo Coleman watches TV at the Sawmill Saloon in Prairie du Chien on Jan. 20. Coleman voted for Obama four years ago. This time, he voted for Trump. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

She tugged 13 envelopes from a cabinet above the stove, each one labeled with a different debt: the house payment, the student loans, the vacuum cleaner she bought on credit.

Tagged with: Donald Trump economy

Around US, economic averages miss big picture

June 8, 2016 11:07 am Leave a comment

pedestrians walk past a "for sale" sign on Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tenn. The U.S. economy has added a healthy average of roughly 200,000 jobs a month since 2011. Yet most have been either high-paying or low-paying positions. That reflects what economists call the “hollowing out” of the workforce, as traditional mid-level positions such as office administrators, bookkeepers, and factory assembly-line workers are cut in recessions and never fully recover their previous levels of employment. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)

Dozens of FedEx jets queue up for takeoff at the airport here. Beale Street, the heart of the music district, hums with tourists. Yet the empty storefronts in Memphis' moribund downtown and the cash-advance shops strewn near its highways tell another story.

Tagged with: economy jobs

Poll finds Americans more upbeat about own finances than economy

May 19, 2016 12:45 pm Leave a comment

Cranes move loads of materials at dusk at the Hudson Yards construction site in New York recently. Construction is rebounding across the U.S., yet only 42 percent of adults describe the U.S. economy as good. (AP File Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Americans are of two minds about the economy in the midst of an election race that largely hinges on the issue. They are strikingly pessimistic about the national economy yet comparatively upbeat about their own financial circumstances.

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Why job growth and cheap gas aren’t doing what they should

April 7, 2015 10:34 am Leave a comment

Apartment buildings in different stages of construction stand behind Don Schmitz, of SCS Builders, LLC, Fond du Lac, as he cuts plywood while at The Woodlands apartments, Tuesday, April 7 in Menomonee Falls. Catalyst Construction, LLC, Milwaukee, is overseeing the construction of five multi-unit apartments at the site for Fiduciary Real Estate Development, Inc., Milwaukee. The work is expected to be complete this summer. (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

Steady hiring is supposed to fire up economic growth. Cheap gasoline is supposed to power consumer spending. Falling unemployment is supposed to boost wages. Low mortgage rates are supposed to spur home buying. America's economic might is supposed to benefit its workers. Yet all those common assumptions about how an economy thrives appear to have broken down during the first three months of 2015.

Tagged with: economy mortgage rates unemployment

Percentage of construction job openings at highest level since ’07

January 20, 2014 9:42 am Leave a comment

Luke Wegner, an employee of Stevens Construction Corp., Madison, strips a wall Jan. 9 at the City View project in Madison. Stevens is overseeing construction of the 13-story, 50,700-square-foot project, which will complete in summer. (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

Construction companies hired fewer workers in November than in October, pushing the percentage of job openings to its highest level since April 2007.

Tagged with: economy hiring jobs

Economy rebounds, just as predicted

January 17, 2014 9:58 am 1 Comment

I’ve been working hard to increase my humility, but the recent economic buzz in Wisconsin is going to make that tough.

Tagged with: economy Jerry Deschane

Federal index ranks Wis. 49th in economic outlook

June 6, 2013 9:01 am Leave a comment

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's latest index ranks Wisconsin 49th in the nation for economic growth.

Tagged with: economy

Strong consumer spending, home construction accelerate economy

April 26, 2013 8:57 am Leave a comment

A worker helps frame a new home under construction March 29 in Matthews, N.C. The U.S. economy accelerated to an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the first quarter behind strong consumer spending and home construction.( AP photo by Chuck Burton)

U.S. economic growth accelerated to an annual rate of 2.5 percent from January through March, buoyed by the strongest consumer spending in more than two years. Government spending fell, though, and tax increases and federal budget cuts could slow growth later this year.

Tagged with: consumer spending economy home construction