The “advance” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2018 expanded by a strong 4.1 percent annualized rate, the fastest pace in almost four years. Consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of real GDP, also grew strongly, which probably reflected somewhat the tax cut. U.S. nonfarm employment added a lower-than-expected 157,000 jobs … [Read more...]
Business Indicators: August 2018
The “third” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2018 expanded at a 2.0 percent annualized rate, revised down from the second estimate of 2.2 percent. The downward revisions mainly reflected smaller-than-expected private inventory investment and personal consumption expenditure. U.S. nonfarm employment continued its surprising gain by … [Read more...]
Business Indicators: July 2018
The “second” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2018 showed growth at an annual rate of 2.2 percent, down by 0.1 percentage point from the previous estimate of 2.3 percent. The downward revisions reflected smaller private inventory investment, residential fixed investment, and net exports, which were partly offset by a larger … [Read more...]
Business Indicators: June 2018
The “advance” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2018 rose at an annual rate of 2.3 percent, a slower pace than the previous three consecutive quarters of about 3 percent. The first quarter real GDP growth, however, exceeded the first-quarter growth in recent years. The increase in real GDP largely reflected a moderate growth in … [Read more...]
Iconic Women of Distinction Awards 2018
An Iconic History NAWBO Southern Nevada The mission of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Southern Nevada is to educate, empower and promote women business owners to experience success in all economic, political and social arenas. The organization provides informative and success driven monthly meetings which include time devoted to networking with … [Read more...]
Business Indicators: May 2018
The “third” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2017 increased at an annual rate of 2.9 percent, up by 0.4 percentage point from the previous estimate. U.S. nonfarm employment added a disappointing 103,000 jobs in March after the large increase of 326,000 jobs in the last month. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent for the … [Read more...]
Tax Law Update: What the Changes Mean for Business
In December 2017, President Trump signed the most comprehensive tax reform bill since 1986. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 makes significant changes to the tax filings for individuals and businesses. For personal filings, the individual maximum tax rate has been reduced to 37 percent from 39.6 percent. At the same time, personal exemptions have been eliminated and the … [Read more...]
Business Indicators: March 2018
The “advance” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2017 increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent after two consecutive quarters of above 3 percent growth. Average hourly earnings growth accelerated to 2.9 percent year-over year, its largest gain since the Great Recession thanks to a tightening labor market. Retail sales posted strong … [Read more...]
Banking on Nevada: Nevada Financial Institutions by the Numbers
Nevada’s Financial Institutions Division (FID) maintains and supervises Nevada’s banking industry. According to FID, the industry is growing stronger. Some of the positive indicators include loan concentrations – those concentrations that indicate what loan growth is, what loan activity is actually taking place, and whether individual banks have too large a concentration in … [Read more...]
Commerce Tax Repeal: The Process Begins
Passed during the 2015 legislative session in Nevada, the Commerce Tax, or Senate Bill 483, has been a sore spot for business owners over the past two years. It’s a frustrating tax for several reasons, not the least of which is, the year before, Nevadans voted against a similar tax only to have the legislature push it through the very next year despite majority wishes. Now, … [Read more...]
Credit Unions: The Growth of Financial Cooperatives
Even in an era filled with bright economic statistics, the mid-year report from the Credit Union League of Nevada stood out. The industry group reported that credit union deposits in Southern Nevada rose by 8 percent year-over-year while total loans were up 10 percent. In booming Northern Nevada, mid-year deposits rose 12 percent over year-earlier numbers and loans … [Read more...]
Nevada’s Place Among the States 2017
Each year, “Nevada’s Place Among the States” compares Nevada to other states, competing markets and the U.S. in general, on several key measures of economic and social health. In this 11th edition of comparing Nevada to other states, statistics show that Nevada has almost fully recovered from the recession. At one point, the Silver State led the nation in foreclosed homes and … [Read more...]
September 2017: Business Indicators
The “advance” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2017 grew at a 2.6 percent annualized rate. Real GDP for the first quarter was revised downward to a 1.2 percent pace. Residential investment exhibited the largest decrease among the real GDP components for the second quarter, while consumer spending and business investment rebounded … [Read more...]
July 2017: Business Indicators
The “second” estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2017 grew at a 1.2 percent annualized rate, a half percentage point higher than the “first” estimate. The upward revision reflects larger gains in nonresidential fixed investment and personal consumption expenditure and smaller losses in state and local government spending. U.S. nonfarm … [Read more...]
Nevada Piggy Book: Required Reading for Taxpayers
The Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) recently released the 2016 edition of the Nevada Piggy Book. This is good because Nevada taxpayers need to know about government waste, which is an especially important topic while the Legislature is in session. However, it’s also depressing to see these examples of how our hard-earned money is being thrown away by politicians and … [Read more...]
January 2017: Business Indicators
U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the third quarter of 2016 grew at a 3.2 percent annualized rate instead of the 2.9 percent from the advanced estimate. The upward revision reflected higher consumer spending and net exports than previously reported, which were partly offset by smaller-than-expected fixed investment and state and local government spending. The … [Read more...]
December 2016: Business Indicators
U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for the third quarter of 2016 expanded at a 2.9 percent annualized growth rate based on the advanced estimate. This unusual and surprising jump after three quarters of sluggish growth reflects a surge in agricultural (soybean) exports and a rebound in business inventories, which bring doubt about continued strong growth in the fourth … [Read more...]
Business Indicators: November 2016
The U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter of 2016, revised up by 0.3 percentage point from the second estimate. The upward revisions mainly reflected an increase in nonresidential fixed investment, which decreased in the previous estimate. Large gains in consumer spending contributed to a rise in real GDP, while cutback … [Read more...]
Business Indicators: October 2016
The U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at a 1.1 annual rate in the second quarter of 2016, The increase in real GDP was mainly due to surprisingly large gains in consumer spending, while cutbacks in private business investment contributed to U.S. economic growth remaining stuck in the slow lane. In spite of lackluster business investment, U.S. nonfarm employment added … [Read more...]
Economic Forecast 2016: Increasing Stability and Growth
According to analysts, Nevada’s economy will continue to show improvement in 2016, but with a few new wrinkles thrown in. Rising wages will mean more disposable income, which in turn boosts consumer spending. Job creation, described as the single best indicator of economic growth, is expected to add more than 52,000 workers to company payrolls this year, according to the Nevada … [Read more...]
