The FED Said One day a single mother in Florida phoned Brittany Birken with a vexing dilemma. The woman’s employer was offering a dime-an-hour raise, a material boost at her low wage. But the woman, who had two children under five years old, was unsure whether to accept the pay hike because the additional income […] Read more

The FED Said During April and early May, southeastern businesses continued to adjust to a tight labor market, according to the Federal Reserve Beige Book report  of economic conditions issued on June 5. For about five years, Atlanta Fed contacts have remarked on the difficulty of finding qualified workers in certain occupations. More recently, some executives […] Read more

The FED Said Without question, the U.S. labor market has tightened a lot over the last few years. But a shifting trend in labor force participation—and especially a rise in the propensity to seek employment by those in their prime working years—seems to be relieving some labor market pressure. From the first quarter of 2015 […] Read more

The FED Said Overall Economic Activity Economic activity expanded at a slight-to-moderate pace in March and early April. While most Districts reported that growth continued at a similar pace as the previous report, a few Districts reported some strengthening. There was little change in the outlook among contacts in reporting Districts, with those expecting slight-to-modest […] Read more

The FED Said  Most business contacts in the southeastern United States expect continued moderate improvement in economic conditions, according to the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report on economic activity published April 17. Labor markets remained generally tight, especially for tough-to-fill positions such as medical professionals, engineers, drivers, and skilled laborers. Businesses continued to refine their techniques to […] Read more

The FED Said Two interesting, and important, documents crossed our desk last week. The first was the 2019 edition of the Economic Report of the President. What particularly grabbed our attention was the following statement from Chapter 3: Fundamentally, when people opt to neither work nor look for work it is an indication that the after-tax income […] Read more

The FED Said Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Summary of Economic Activity Sixth District business contacts reported that economic activity continued to advance at a moderate pace over the reporting period and the outlook among contacts remained positive. Labor markets continued to tighten, and some firms noted relocating certain segments of their operations to gain […] Read more

The FED Said   Overall US Economic Activity Economic activity continued to expand in late January and February, with ten Districts reporting slight-to-moderate growth, and Philadelphia and St. Louis reporting flat economic conditions. About half of the Districts noted that the government shutdown had led to slower economic activity in some sectors including retail, auto […] Read more

The FED Said Report on Nonemployer Firms Based on the 2017 Small Business Credit Survey Nonemployer firms1 are important to the United States’ economy, comprising 81% of all small businesses,2 employing 17% of the American workforce,3 and generating $1.2 trillion in annual sales.4 While previous research has explored why individuals seek self-employment5 or what conditions drive nonemployers to become employer […] Read more

The FED Said Fading housing affordability remains a challenge for residential builders who already face headwinds from labor cost increases and higher material costs. U.S. home sales have staged a strong comeback in the aftermath of the recession, but many builders are not expecting this year’s sales to be as healthy as they were in […] Read more

The FED Said Although millennials have been known to be the most charitable age group compared to earlier generations, they are, ironically, holding their money very close when it comes to taking financial risks. According to a recent study from the Federal Reserve, millennials are less well off than previous generations of young adults. They […] Read more

The FED Said Many people are quitting their current job. According to data from the Job Openings, Layoffs, and Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers are voluntarily leaving their current workplace (for reasons other than retirement or internal company transfers) at rates not seen since the late 1990s. A high […] Read more

The FED Said Beige Book – January 16, 2019 Overall US Economic Activity Economic activity increased in most of the U.S., with eight of twelve Federal Reserve Districts reporting modest to moderate growth. Nonauto retail sales grew modestly, as several Districts reported more holiday traffic compared with last year. Auto sales were flat on balance. […] Read more