Archive

10 DecWash, Rinse, Repeat – December 2019

The 2019 economy has been a mixed bag. While there are a growing number of indicators to be concerned about, some, like consumer spending, remain strong. We have another round of potential tariffs being threatened (France, Argentina, Brazil) and a growing discussion around both consumer and corporate debt. E-commerce continues to grow, with some retailers losing and others making large gains. There is a battle for consumer’s hearts and minds, and we explore that in this edition. A serious discussion about education and the workforce of the future is brewing. In an expanded article, we explore what types of jobs may exist in the future and what type of education they may need. Real Estate seems to be heading back into good territory again. We take a look at both residential and coworking in this edition to dig in beyond headlines. We close out the year with a look at the state’s overall economy and a statistical look at our leading index. From all of us at Western Washington University, we wish you the very best of Merry and Bright!

Volume: 27 - Number: 4

Leading Index Title: Same data, different angle

Special Topic Title: The Seattle Coworking Scene

Authors:

  • Hart Hodges
  • Josh Grandbouche
  • James McCafferty

20 JunTariffs, Policies and Other Rumors – June 2018

Last quarter we unveiled a returning column written by our colleagues at Employment Security. Beginning with the September edition it will take you a little longer to read the Forecaster as we add an entire set of new pages that will present the state-wide forecast among other informative items. The expansion will mean more pages for you to read through but will not change the Puget Sound focused content. This expansion of the Forecaster is a key step in connecting the economic activity of the Puget Sound (which drives a majority of the state numbers) with the nuances of the overall stateís activities. In producing the Forecaster we draw upon the expertise of our colleagues from throughout the region, our faculty here at Western Washington University and our student research assistants. Each provides a unique perspective and voice to the topics we present with our goal of providing you the background to navigate within the economy. We also want to highlight the role of different faculty and student assistants. We have different experts contributing articles and ideas. We welcome your questions and topic suggestions for future articles. Email us at [email protected].

Volume: 26 - Number: 2

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Inside Unemployment

Authors:

  • Hart Hodges
  • James McCafferty

20 MarEconomy May Be Reaching Its Limits

As we wrap up the first quarter of the year it is a good time to take stock of what happened in 2017. Last year was a strong year by most measures, but as we have noted, the economy may be reaching its limits. Some factors are cooling off from their highs seen in 2016, such as employment growth. Unemployment continues to fall even lower locally than it is nationally, begging the question of how low the natural rate of unemployment is in this economy ñ and who is actually considered to be unemployed. Inflation has the Fed's attention. Later this year they will decide if the economy is reaching the point where rates are raised four times this year as they're hinting rather than three.

Volume: 26 - Number: 1

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Inside Unemployment

Authors:

  • Hart Hodges
  • James McCafferty