Sharkey, Howes & Javer

On this week’s Inside the Economy, we discuss the effects that natural disasters such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have on the U.S. economy. Greater Houston is the metropolitan area that contributes the most to United States Real GDP growth. Will Hurricane Harvey’s devastation of one of the nation’s most productive economic centers signal a slowdown for the U.S. economy as a whole? Tune in to find out!

On this week’s Inside the Economy, we examine how America’s personal savings have changed since the Great Recession. We also discuss how the Federal Reserve will begin to unwind its balance sheet of Treasuries and Mortgage Backed Securities over the next 5 years. Outside of the U.S., economic activity in Spain is looking brighter. What kind of impact will this positive outlook have on the referendum on Catalan independence on October 1st? Tune in to find out!

On today’s Inside the Economy, we look at the U.S. consumer and review disposable income and personal consumption. We also discuss the Fed’s QT (Quantitative Tightening) Policy of increasing interest rates and the changes to the Fed’s balance sheet as they begin to roll off the assets they acquired during the 2008-2009 timeframe. How will this affect our economy? Tune in to find out!

This week on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we review positive news with the release of the first estimate for second quarter GDP and the GDP outlook for the remainder of 2017. Listen in as we discuss the contribution of mining to earnings in the energy sector along with an update on the U.S. shale oil industry. In addition, can you guess which U.S. cities are seeing an influx of financial jobs?

This week on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we take a look at U.S. Energy consumption and the historic and current sources of electricity production. In addition, we review how large the U.S. economy has grown and the impact of inflation. Will a decrease in personal tax cuts encourage Americans to spend more and stimulate the economy? Tune in for an objective view on these issues and more.

Today on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we revisit the cause of the high inflation and interest rate environment in the early 1980’s and why looking back in time is important in comparison to today’s economic environment. We also compare and contrast the best performing stocks in the S&P 500 today to the early 2000’s tech bubble. Listen in as we take a stroll down memory lane and more.

Today on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we discuss the sustainability of 2% inflation here in the U.S. and the impact it has on long-term interest rates and mortgage rates despite the Federal Reserve’s increase in short-term rates. Inflation drivers, or lack thereof, also play a role in gasoline prices and car retail sales. Listen in to hear more about China’s recent downgrade by Moody’s, as well as which country has the largest capital inflow into the United States for commercial real estate.

The U.S. consumer debt burden is as low as it’s been in 30 years as savings increase and employment numbers are full. Today we discuss the United States’ need for continued immigration and why increasing interest rates aren’t reflected in money market accounts. Listen in to hear more about U.S. economics and Europe’s end of quantitative easing.

As the U.S. economy nears full employment, consumer confidence has increased and consumer debt has decreased. Today we discuss the impact of the French election and the international marketplace, as well as sovereign debt around the world. Stay tuned to learn more about GDP and inflation projections for 2017.

Tune in to our first video edition of Inside the Economy w/ SH&J! The Fed has now raised rates another 0.25% with the possibility of reaching 1.0% by the end of 2017. Ultimately, the goal of increasing rates is to keep CPI inflation around the 2% target – today we review why achieving this goal may prove difficult. In addition, we discuss the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as a possible alternative to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the impact this has on Medicaid costs. Stay tuned to learn more about the underlying economics as we end the first quarter of 2017.

This week on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we focus on baby boomers and municipal bonds. Listen in to find out how prepared boomers are for retirement as well as how the lack of growth in sales taxes is impacting municipal bonds. We also discuss the rise in average hourly earnings since 2014 and the trend in consumer and government borrowing. Will we see another Fed Funds rate increase in March?

This week on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we discuss what the next brewing bubbles in the U.S. economy may be, and whether or not their imbalances could cause the next recession. In addition, we review the capital inflows of international money into U.S. commercial real estate and why China is selling off a portion of their U.S. Treasury holdings. Listen in to hear the economic chances of a recession in the near future.

This week on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we review the driving forces for raising interest rates and inflation including unemployment, consumer debt, and retail pricing. Also covered is the longer-term potential growth slope for GDP. Listen in to hear this week’s discussion, which includes insight on the United States’ dependence on trade and an update on the Eurozone.

This week on Inside the Economy, we discover why the age of low inflation may be ending and how yields are likely to be pushed higher. The Dow crossed above 20,000 for an all-time high on January 25, 2017, creating a stir in media headlines. Which sectors are being positively and negatively impacted by the incoming administration’s new policies? Listen in to find out more!

This week on Inside the Economy, we review how a strong U.S. dollar and higher interest rates have affected the exporting sector of the U.S. economy and borrowing costs over the last year. Can you guess what the next bubble may be? Listen in to find out, and hear more on expectations for manufacturing’s share of total employment here in the U.S., as well as what a cut in corporate tax receipts could mean for Federal Revenue.

In our first Inside the Economy of the new year, we discuss our economic outlook for 2017. The U.S. is about 7.5 years into the current business expansion, which is approaching the 10-year record from the 1990’s but will the S&P 500 continue to increase in valuation? What can we expect for mortgage rates this year? Listen in to hear more on these topics in our first economic update of 2017!

This week on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we discuss the recent Federal increase in interest rates and the likelihood of additional increases in 2017. How will the higher interest rates impact us in the Denver real estate market? Will we see a push on wage inflation in 2017? Listen in to hear our last economic update for 2016!

This week on Inside the Economy with SH&J, we discuss how OPEC’s recent decision to cut production impacted the U.S. stock market and the level of influence we can expect from OPEC going forward. Additionally, the new administration may have a plan to bring overseas corporate profits back to the U.S., but will repatriation be important? Listen in to hear more on these issues as well as U.S. contributions to globalization by industry since 1997.

Since election day, all eyes have been on the stock market in anticipation of what the new administration may bring. In addition, the yield curve has clearly shifted up in anticipation of a potential December interest rate increase. Listen to SH&J’s discussion on the current state of the U.S. economy and the impact of international quantitative easing policies on the dollar.

It is no surprise that the Fed elected not to raise interest rates this month, although the Consumer Price Index is creeping back to the level the Feds are seeking. In addition, funds from Japan and the Eurozone continue to flood into U.S. based investments and will likely remain here for the foreseeable future. Why is this important? Listen in to hear this week’s economic update. If you have any questions or topics you would like addressed, please let us know in the comments section of the blog and we will cover them during our next recording on October 10th.