A list of all of Doc Werlin’s writings pertaining to economics.
On Jan. 19, the United States hit its “debt ceiling,” which is currently capped at $31.4 trillion. The “debt ceiling” refers to a statutory limit on how much the U.S. can borrow. To prevent a default, [...]
On Feb. 14, the Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index increased by 6.4% over the past year. This represents the seventh straight month of declines. CPI measures a broad basket of goods and [...]
On Feb. 3, the Labor Department reported surprisingly strong employment numbers. The economy added a robust 517,000 nonfarm jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, a 53-year low. Analysts were surprised. They had expected job [...]
Last week the U.S. reached its borrowing limit of $31.4 trillion. The debt limit is the maximum amount of debt that the Treasury Department can issue. Given that the federal government runs large budget [...]
The National Bureau of Statistics recently reported that China’s population declined in 2022 by approximately one million people to 1.412 billion. This represents the first decline since 1961, the last year of China’s Great Famine. United Nation experts estimate [...]
The Wall Street Journal in an article “Negative-Yield Bonds Approach Final Days” highlighted that the outstanding amount of negative-yielding debt has almost declined toward zero. According to the Bloomberg index, it now stands at $254 billion, [...]
On Dec. 4, The New York Times in an article “Worsening Debt in Poor Nations Threatens Crisis” highlighted the catastrophic debt crisis of developing nations. The Times pointed out that “rapid inflation, slowing growth, rising interest [...]
On Nov. 15, the United Nations estimated that the global population had reached 8 billion people. Marie-Francesca Spatolisano, the U.N. assistant secretary-general for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, said at a news conference in July, [...]
On Oct. 13, the Labor Department released data that showed the consumer price index rose 8.2% in September. Over the past year, the core inflation index, which excludes food and energy, increased 6.6%, the highest level since [...]
The Treasury Department released data on Oct. 4 that showed America’s national debt exceeded $31 trillion for the first time. Our outstanding debt raises major fiscal concerns because low interest costs to fund the debt are [...]
As the world’s most important currency, the U.S. dollar frequently appreciates during times of turmoil. The dollar has appreciated significantly for several reasons: (1) The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates in order to bring down the [...]
On Sept. 13, the Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.3% in August over the past 12 months. The core CPI, which excludes energy and food prices, increased 6.3% from the previous year. [...]
On Sept. 8, the European Central Bank (ECB) increased its interest rates by 75 basis points, the largest ever. ECB revised up its inflation expectations to an average of 8.1% in 2022. The bank indicated that they “expect [...]
On Sept. 2, the Labor Department reported that employers added 315,000 jobs in August. For the past two years, we have experienced robust job growth. The U.S. has regained the 22 million jobs that we lost [...]
According to the Social Security Administration, approximately 56 million people depend on Social Security (OASI) for their retirement. For about half of older adults, it provides at least 50% of their income, and for one in [...]
The Labor Department reported recently that employers added 528,000 non-farm payroll jobs. The economy has fully recouped the 22 million positions that were lost early in the pandemic. The recovery has been far swifter [...]
On July 14, the Euro slid below the U.S. dollar for the first time in 20 years. The Euro’s downward spiral has been swift and brutal, given that it was trading around $1.15 in February. As [...]
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that the EPA overstepped its authority in restricting greenhouse gas emissions. The Court ruled that Congress, not the EPA, has the [...]
Over the past few years, several events have delayed or altered globalization, which is the interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures and populations. In the article, “The Tricky Restructuring of Global Supply Chains” in The Economist, the [...]
On June 15, in response to inflation concerns, the Federal Reserve raised overnight rates by 75 basis points. This marks the greatest increase in 28 years. The Fed forecasts raising overnight rates to 3.75% by the end [...]
Kristalina Georgieva, the International Monetary Fund managing director, told the World Economic Forum in May that “anxiety about access to food at a reasonable price globally is hitting the roof” as food prices continue to “go [...]
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that at least 25 SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies) have concerns about their financial future. This represents more than 10% of the SPACs that went public between 2020 and [...]
The former chief U.S. economist for UBS, Maury Harris, wrote an article “When Will More Economists Forecast Recession?” Harris pointed out that “an April poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal put the probability of [...]
Elon Musk, no stranger to controversy, has drawn media attention with his takeover of Twitter. Musk says he has secured $46.5 billion in financing to acquire Twitter. Musk listed three sources: The first two would be [...]
The Labor Department released two disturbing reports relating to inflation. The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures the prices paid by wholesalers, rose 11.2% from a year ago. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which [...]
In addition to the suffering and humanitarian crisis from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the global economy will feel the impact of slower growth, higher inflation and a recalibration of energy policies. Because Russia and Ukraine are major [...]
The Biden Administration has introduced legislation to limit corporate buybacks, a fundamental practice in corporate America. Stock buybacks refer to share repurchases. A buyback occurs when the issuing company reabsorbs that portion of its ownership that was previously [...]
On March 16, the Federal Reserve approved a 0.25% rate hike, the first increase since December 2018. Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, stated that our Central Bank will raise rates aggressively over the next year [...]
Similar to the effects of the Vietnam War, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shifted the geopolitical and economic forces toward higher inflation. The sudden isolation of the Russian economy reflects the West’s condemnation of this [...]
On March 4, the Labor Department reported very strong employment numbers. In brief, the U.S. has benefitted from robust job growth for months. Specifically, 678,000 workers joined the workforce in February. This brings employment to levels [...]
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has disrupted the world economy and financial markets. For more than a decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin has assailed the post-Cold War security order. While Putin’s ambitions remain unclear, this [...]
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has triggered the greatest security crisis on the European continent since the Cold War. On Feb. 18, President Biden said, “We have reason to believe that Russian forces [...]
“The inflation number is a reminder that Americans’ budgets are being stretched in ways that create real stress at the kitchen table." --President Biden U.S. 10-year Treasury yields rose on Feb. 10 above 2% for [...]
We are living in an era of Big Tech dominance. On top of the mountain are Google (Alphabet), Apple, Facebook (Meta), Amazon and Microsoft. We rely on these companies to live, work, study and secure essential services. Over time, Big Tech has built a [...]
“Is our growth rate too good to be true?” The Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy grew at a 6.9% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2021. This represents the fastest growth in almost 35 years. Unfortunately, [...]
KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms, reported in late December that merger and acquisition activity in 2021 easily surpassed the pre-pandemic level. Moreover, KPMG reported that a survey of 350 business leaders reported M&A is [...]
