In a time when consumers are holding their funds close and avoiding spending, a recent report found that businesses are being even more cautious. These findings are likely to weigh heavily on Federal Reserve officials as they consider raising the Federal Fund Rate, despite the...
The U.S. economy's sluggish start to the year is validating the wait-and-see approach the Federal Reserve has taken with raising interest rates. Business investments, constrained by falling corporate profits and diminishing exports, and held back by the strong dollar, have both played their role in the...
The US manufacturing sector weakened throughout 2015 as the dollar strengthened and made US exports more expensive overseas. Manufacturing activity increased in February, but it remained below the 12-month average. New orders remained positive in January and February, buoyed by increased consumer spending. Though consumer...
New York State has experienced much warmer temperatures over the past thirty to forty years, and the sea level along New York’s coast has increased about 12 inches over the past 100 years. Though past trends do not necessarily predict future trends, New York officials...
Between plummeting oil prices and a global growth slowdown, the United States economy ended 2015 with a dip — but January's spending figures and new data on the previous quarter suggest that American consumers are brushing off the jitters. This is heartening news for small...
An increasing number of economists and corporate leaders say the risk of the U.S. dipping into a recession is rising. More than anything, they have pointed to the global growth slowdown and convulsions in financial markets. According to the Wall Street Journal’s monthly survey of economists,...
Real estate investors are betting, perhaps mistakenly, that the six-year trend of rising rents in luxury urban apartment units will continue. Likewise, developers are hoping it will be worth their time, and money, to continue building them. According to research conducted by Axiometrics Inc., developers...
There’s a great deal of uncertainty in the market right now. The Fed has already increased their target short-term rate from 0.25% to 0.5%, and they’re planning on increasing it incrementally throughout 2016. In recent years, online platforms like LendingClub Corp. and Prosper Marketplace, Inc....
The last seven years have been painful for consumers, homeowners, small business owners—indeed for all Americans. The financial crisis of 2007-2008 was the worst economic downturn in the United States since the Great Depression in the 1930s. It was caused by a number of factors,...
Since time immemorial banks have been the default institution for lending, but online lending sites, together called FinTech companies, are now posing a threat to bank’s hegemony. FinTech Companies a Legitimate Threat to Banking? Though there are many FinTech enthusiasts, some believe this is simply a phase...