Latest Macroeconomics Stories

New numbers show women are beginning to join the recovery after months of lagging behind men in job growth. WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to an Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) analysis of the January employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), women's employment now appears to be rising and the past three months saw equal job growth for men and women (206,000 for each). This is good news for women since their job...

BRUSSELS, Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Germany increased 0.3 percent in October to 106.4 (2004 = 100), following a 1.3 percent decline in September, and a 2.1 percent decline in August. At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Germany, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.1 percent in October to 106.5 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decline in September, and a 0.2...

Proposed rule extends minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The fight to win basic labor protections for home care workers may soon be won, thanks to a proposed rule announced today by President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The rule would extend minimum wage and overtime protections to these workers under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Home care workers are currently excluded...

Census Bureau Reports State Government Revenue Up 79 Percent in 2010 WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Total state government revenue increased to $2.0 trillion in 2010, up 79.0 percent from $1.1 trillion in 2009, resulting mainly from large increases in social insurance trust revenue, according to the latest findings from the U.S. Census Bureau. After a substantial loss in earnings in 2009, trust systems showed earnings of $450.5 billion in 2010, a gain of 218.2...

BRUSSELS, Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Spain declined 0.2 percent in October to 105.2 (2004 = 100), following a 0.4 percent decline in September, and a 0.2 percent decline in August. At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Spain, a measure of current economic activity, declined 0.1 percent in October to 101.1 (2004 = 100), following no change in September, and a 0.1 percent increase...

Much to be Done in Illinois: Solutions Identified but Response Inadequate CHICAGO, Dec. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Poverty, worse in Illinois today than during the recession, grew from pre-to post-recession by 16 percent, according to the 2011 Report on Illinois Poverty released today. In fact, poverty is at its highest point in decades. Visit www.heartlandalliance.org/research to download the report and access county-level data. Post recession has seen no gains for...

BRUSSELS, Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Germany declined 1.4 percent in September to 105.1 (2004 = 100), following a 2.3 percent decline in August, and a 0.2 percent decline in July. At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Germany, a measure of current economic activity, declined 0.1 percent in September to 106.4 (2004 = 100), following a 0.2 percent decline in August, and a 0.4...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today released its 2012 economic forecast for the U.S. commercial and industrial construction industry. "ABC's analysis of construction trends indicates 2012 will be a year of gradual progress as advances in private construction are partially offset by ongoing declines in publicly financed construction," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. "Nonresidential construction spending is expected to...

Thanks to a new model created by an international research group, it is now possible to predict which European countries are more likely to become united or which are more likely to break up. It does so by not only considering demographic and economic criteria but, most ingeniously of all, culture and genetics. Ignacio Ortuño Ortín, researcher at the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M) and co-author of the study that was published in the Journal of Economic Growth states that "our...

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Japan decreased 0.7 percent in September to 92.8 (2004 = 100), following a 0.3 percent decrease in August, and a 0.9 percent increase in July. At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Japan, a measure of current economic activity increased in September by 2.3 percent to 98.9 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decrease in August, and a 0.3 percent decrease...