Consumer confidence hits 3-year high this month
The Consumer Confidence Index rose in February to its highest point in three years as consumers are feeling more positive about their income prospects and the direction the economy is headed.
Economy
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HICKS: Earmarks need overhaul, but they aren’t entirely bad
Our influential senior senator, Richard Lugar, and 6th District congressman, Mike Pence, disagree on an outright ban on earmarks. This is a rare case in which the differing concerns of both men are right.
More foreign students at state colleges a good sign for economy
Indiana, where foreign-student enrollment rose in 2010, is 10th in the U.S. in the number of students from other countries.
Rising industrial production gives economy momentum
Factories started producing more as U.S. companies placed more orders to replenish stockpiles that they slashed during the downturn. Then in the final months of 2010, consumers and businesses showed a bigger appetite to spend, encouraged in part by the improving economy.
New jobs point to slow, steady economic growth
The nation's economy added 103,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percent last month, its lowest level in 19 months. But the job growth fell short of expectations based on a strengthening economy.
More unemployment claims filed nationally last week
The U.S. Labor Department says applications for unemployment aid rose by 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 409,000 in the week ending Jan. 1. Applications fell to 391,000 in the previous week, the lowest point since July 2008.
HICKS: Why economic forecasting is inexact science
Forecasts are primarily used as a tool to begin, not end, conversations about business and government matters.
Economy brightens as consumers spend, layoffs slow
The latest data confirm that the economy is improving, even though too few jobs are being created to lower the 9.8 percent unemployment rate.
MARCUS: Tax cuts are not efficient as a job stimulus
Many of the best minds in the nation are endorsing the latest stimulus package, which retains the Bush tax cuts and reduces workers’ Social Security contributions nearly one-third.
Construction, manufacturing may lead economic recovery
The recession came to an official end 18 months ago, but Indiana’s unemployment rate hovered around 10 percent.
Feds: Economy grew modestly in third quarter
Many analysts think the economy is growing at a 3.5 percent pace or better mainly because consumers are spending more freely again.
State unemployment rate dips to 9.8 percent
Indiana’s jobless rate dropped for the second month in a row and has decreased four-tenths of a point since hitting 10.2 percent this summer.
HICKS: Inflation delays visit, but it’ll arrive eventually
All economists know that, at its core, inflation is caused solely by too much money chasing too few goods.
Economist: State recovery slow, but faster than peers
Chief regional economist Jim Diffley of IHS Global Insight says Indiana has grown faster than other manufacturing-heavy Midwestern states.
Jobless rate rises to 9.8 percent as U.S. job growth slows
With hiring so weak, the unemployment rate rose from 9.6 percent to 9.8 percent. The jobless rate has now topped 9 percent for 19 straight months, the longest stretch on record.
Indianapolis banker sees progress, challenges at ailing Integra
Mike Alley, perhaps more than any other banker in the state, is experiencing the pain the economic crisis has wrought on the nation’s financial institutions.
Jobless claims tick up again
Difficulties adjusting for the Thanksgiving holiday contributed to last week’s spike in new applications, a government analyst said. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths volatility, fell to 431,000 last week, a two-year low.
Jobless claims drop sharply
A Labor Department analyst said weekly claims are volatile during the week between the Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving holidays. A key question is whether claims will remain this low in future weeks.
State’s unemployment rate drops below 10 percent
Indiana’s unemployment rate in October dipped to 9.9 percent, marking the first time the rate has been below double digits since March.
The root of Indiana’s myriad problems
Longtime economist Morton Marcus says the objective truth is that Indiana is in decline. He also insists the solution is a change in the culture, not just job creation.