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Special to GroundBreak Carolinas: Dr. Bruce Yandle, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus, Clemson University, shares economic insight for construction leaders in the Carolinas. Getting Started: The Current Picture With 2024 at the halfway mark, we find a national economy registering a low pulse-beat and an improved outllook on the inflation front. First quarter real…
Every year April brings beautiful images of new life, but this time we are also getting positive readings on the U.S. and regional economies. With the closing of 2023, we learned that real GDP growth for the nation perked along at a 2.5% rate, well above 2022’s 1.9% and a far cry from constant calls…
With horrible wars underway in the Middle East and Ukraine, a strong dose of compartmentalization is required to focus attention on the prospects for the economy. But if we are to make a difference to those in devastated places, it will be necessary for us to make the best of our own situation, to try…
At this 2023 mid-point, a close look at the U.S. economy reveals uncertainty, bumps in the road ahead, and an economy that is so shot full of federal government intervention and stimulus that it is difficult to determine what is real and what is artificial.[1] Some but not all of this is understandable. After all,…
News that October existing home sales fell once more, giving a period of decline dating back to January 2022, is a reminder that when the Fed hits the brakes, it is housing and the construction economy that feels the sharpest pain. As National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun put it: “More potential homebuyers…
As we examine the approaching mid-year economy, we see the results of a perplexing mix of major economic forces. To draw an analogy, multiple large boulders are hitting the economic lake, and each one is creating waves and turbulence. The 2021 COVID-rebounding U.S. economy, lifted by past massive deficit spending and low-interest rate monetary policy,…
What are your thoughts on the economy related to construction in the Carolinas in 2022? Based on what I am hearing, both from clients, industry friends, and construction knowledgeable economists, 2022 has the potential to look a lot like 2021. I think that is good news for most contractors. However, the lingering supply chain issues,…
With 2021’s fourth quarter upon us, it’s increasingly clear that what I call a Frankenstein economy is upon us. No, I don’t mean we are dealing with an out-of-control monster that could turn on us and wipe us out, but I do mean that we have an economy sutured together in Washington and other national…
Mid-year is approaching. Stimulus money is flowing. The share of the U.S. population receiving virus vaccinations is soaring, “Now Hiring” signs are dotting the landscape, and the Communicable Disease Center has partly relaxed its mask requirement. Flush with money and less fearful, the American consumer is shopping again. Finally, it seems, the U.S. economy has…
On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, Carolinas AGC’s Connect & Learn series presented a North Carolina Economic Update and Outlook from nationally acclaimed NC State Economist Dr. Michael Walden. During the CAGC member luncheon, Dr. Walden shared his prediction that the strength of NC and SC economies likely will exceed pre-pandemic levels in the future because…
