The country is composed of millions of small businesses from home-based one person consultants to hair salons and manufacturing companies. As defined by the SBA’s Office of Advocacy, a small business has less than 500 employees and operates independently, not under the control of another entity. As of 2018, the SBA acknowledges that there were 30.2 million small businesses in …
Macro Overview – August 2019
Trade tensions escalated as the U.S. announced a 10% tariff commencing September 1st on $300 billion of Chinese imports that haven’t yet been subject to any tariffs. The additional tariffs would essentially apply to nearly all imports from China. Another $250 billion in Chinese imports have already been subject to a 25% tariff for the past few months. While this …
Trucks Delivering More – Economic Dynamics
A shout out to all clients involved in the trucking industry and the crucial role they play in our economy. A critical component of the economy proving fluid movement between companies and consumers are logistics and shipping services provided by the trucking industry. Trucks provide some of the most ample delivery logistics in the country, delivering packages and goods from …
Consumer Spending Growing Faster Than GDP – Consumer Economics
The past four years have seen consumer spending exceeding GDP. Various factors drive consumer spending, including sentiment, optimism, wages, and demographics. GDP grew at a 2.6% annual rate in the fourth quarter, while consumer spending grew at a 3.8% annual rate. Historically, periods where consumer spending has grown faster than economic growth, as measured by GDP, inflation has evolved. Consumer …
Macro Overview
It’s been said that the market is always climbing a wall of worry. Here is a brief statement and status of those worries that the market is dealing with at the moment. The aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria are expected to have uncertain affects on government data and continued ambiguity on economic activity. The hurricanes will distort economic …