Author: Dee Shore

Dec 23, 2010

The recession hit N.C. hard

You don’t have to tell North Carolina's unemployed workers how bad the recession has been, but now we have some evidence from the federal government to confirm this. N.C. Cooperative Extension economist explains what the numbers show. 

Dec 22, 2010

What happened to Ireland

Ireland has been in the news recently but not in a good way: The government has been on the verge of bankruptcy, and the rest of Europe may have to bail them out. What happened to this country, which only a few years ago had a very dynamic economy? N.C. Cooperative Extension economist Mike Walden explains. 

Dec 21, 2010

Another debt plan

The national debt is a major issue. Recently the heads of the U.S. president's fiscal commission issued a debt reduction plan. And another group has released yet another plan. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden highlights the major recommendations in this other plan. 

Dec 20, 2010

Forecasting the economic future

Everyone wants to have a crystal ball regarding the economy, but few of us have one. Economists are often asked to peer into the economic future. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden explains the techniques that economists use to do that. 

Dec 17, 2010

Being like Japan

One of the apparent fears of the Federal Reserve is that the U.S. economy today will be like the Japanese economy of the 1990s. What are the parallels, and what are the problems of copying the Japanese economy of 20 years ago? Dr. Mike Walden, an Extension economist with N.C. State University, responds. 

Dec 16, 2010

New state economic indicator

N.C. State University extension economist Mike Walden recently unveiled a new measure of the state economy meant to tell us where the state economy will be heading in the near future. In today's "Economic Perspective," he details this new leading indicator. 

Dec 15, 2010

Baked-in results

Many people watch the stock and other investment markets for clues to what might happen to the economy. "Baked-in results" is a term increasingly heard. N.C. Cooperative Extension economist Mike Walden explains how investments can be "baked-in." 

Dec 13, 2010

Money creation

There has been a lot of talk recently about money, and specifically the money the Federal Reserve is planning to create to stimulate the economy. How is this done? Does the Federal Reserve really have the power to flip a switch and generate money? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden answers. 

Dec 10, 2010

Sticky wages

Changes to workers' salaries, or wages, are important. Workers count on increases in their pay over time to make progress in their standard of living. Of course, those same workers don’t look forward to a possible decrease in pay during recessions. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden explains just how frequently workers' wages and salaries move up or down. 

Dec 9, 2010

Infrastructure needs

There is talk of another government stimulus package, which would focus on areas like road, bridges, reservoirs and water treatment plants. These types of projects are generally lumped together and called infrastructure. But didn’t the first stimulus plan address these items? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden answers.