June 2013 U.S. Economic Fundamentals
- Thread starter Ally
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Toward a self-employed nation?
The United States labor market has been undergoing a substantial shift toward small-scale entrepreneurship. The number of proprietors ` owners of businesses who are not wage and salary employees, has skyrocketed, especially in the last decade. Proprietors are self employed business owners who use Internal Revenue Service Schedule C to file their federal income tax. Wage and salary workers are all employees of any establishment (private or government), from executives to non-supervisory workers.
Read the full article here.
The United States labor market has been undergoing a substantial shift toward small-scale entrepreneurship. The number of proprietors ` owners of businesses who are not wage and salary employees, has skyrocketed, especially in the last decade. Proprietors are self employed business owners who use Internal Revenue Service Schedule C to file their federal income tax. Wage and salary workers are all employees of any establishment (private or government), from executives to non-supervisory workers.
Read the full article here.
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Immigration reform would boost real estate sales
Nobody said life was a rose garden, and nobody said immigration reform by the U.S. Congress couldn`t give well-off foreign home buyers a hand up in the fierce competition to get an American visa, either.
That`s the aim of newly proposed laws now before Congress, laws designed in large part to make enforcement of immigration policy more effective.
Read the full article here.
Nobody said life was a rose garden, and nobody said immigration reform by the U.S. Congress couldn`t give well-off foreign home buyers a hand up in the fierce competition to get an American visa, either.
That`s the aim of newly proposed laws now before Congress, laws designed in large part to make enforcement of immigration policy more effective.
Read the full article here.
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2009
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Welcome to the end of job growth?
There's a ritual every first Friday of the month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its initial estimate for how many jobs were added or lost the previous four weeks; everybody scrutinizes that; and then Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers tell us what it all means. (Oh, and Jack Welch insists it's all rigged). But this tradition is going to change a bit the next few years: there aren't going to be as many jobs to obsess over.
Read the full article here.
There's a ritual every first Friday of the month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its initial estimate for how many jobs were added or lost the previous four weeks; everybody scrutinizes that; and then Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers tell us what it all means. (Oh, and Jack Welch insists it's all rigged). But this tradition is going to change a bit the next few years: there aren't going to be as many jobs to obsess over.
Read the full article here.
U.S. labour market tighter than it looks
There is ongoing commentary that posits much of the decline in the U.S. labour force participation rate is due to the aging profile of the population and, as such, does not reflect a widening gap between the skills the jobs market has to offer and the skills that businesses actually require.
The bottom line is that the only age cohort that has seen an increase in its participation rate since the recession ended is the 55-plus category ` to 40.4% from 40.1%. Those between 16 and 19 have seen their rates drop to 33.8% from 38.8%; the 20-24 group is down to 70.9% from 73.3%; and the 25-54 segment is down to 81.1% from 82.9%.
Read the full article here.
There is ongoing commentary that posits much of the decline in the U.S. labour force participation rate is due to the aging profile of the population and, as such, does not reflect a widening gap between the skills the jobs market has to offer and the skills that businesses actually require.
The bottom line is that the only age cohort that has seen an increase in its participation rate since the recession ended is the 55-plus category ` to 40.4% from 40.1%. Those between 16 and 19 have seen their rates drop to 33.8% from 38.8%; the 20-24 group is down to 70.9% from 73.3%; and the 25-54 segment is down to 81.1% from 82.9%.
Read the full article here.
Lenders stepped up U.S. home repossessions in May
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Lenders stepped up action last month against homeowners who had fallen behind on their mortgage payments, taking possession of more homes and initiating the foreclosure countdown clock on many others.
Completed foreclosures jumped 11 per cent nationally in May from the previous month, with monthly increases taking place in 33 states, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.
Read the full article here.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Lenders stepped up action last month against homeowners who had fallen behind on their mortgage payments, taking possession of more homes and initiating the foreclosure countdown clock on many others.
Completed foreclosures jumped 11 per cent nationally in May from the previous month, with monthly increases taking place in 33 states, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.
Read the full article here.
U.S. weekly unemployment benefit applications drop
WASHINGTON - The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 334,000 last week, a hopeful sign that steady job gains will continue.
The Labor Department says the four-week average, a less volatile measure, decreased 7,250 to 345,250. Both figures are only about 7,000 above their levels of a month ago, which were the lowest in five years.
Read the full article here.
WASHINGTON - The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 334,000 last week, a hopeful sign that steady job gains will continue.
The Labor Department says the four-week average, a less volatile measure, decreased 7,250 to 345,250. Both figures are only about 7,000 above their levels of a month ago, which were the lowest in five years.
Read the full article here.
A star-spangled recovery: Why the U.S. economy is showing signs of life
It`s not quite the recovery that anyone wanted, but it`s a recovery all the same.
The world`s largest economy is still rumbling along in third gear. Unemployment remains too high for comfort; there are nearly 12 million Americans out of work. On Friday, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its 2014 projection for U.S. economic growth to 2.7 per cent, down from 3 per cent.
Read the full article here.
It`s not quite the recovery that anyone wanted, but it`s a recovery all the same.
The world`s largest economy is still rumbling along in third gear. Unemployment remains too high for comfort; there are nearly 12 million Americans out of work. On Friday, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its 2014 projection for U.S. economic growth to 2.7 per cent, down from 3 per cent.
Read the full article here.
What snowbirds should know before buying down south
The Canadian population is becoming increasingly globalized, whether by reason of marriage, property ownership or otherwise. Because of this, Canadian assets are becoming more commonly held in foreign jurisdictions, causing legal complications, especially for estates.
Those dreaming of a tropical escape from the slush and ice of Canadian winters are looking South for a place to thaw out. In particular, current inexpensive housing prices in the United States has made it an attractive place for Canadians to buy real estate. Those in the market for snowbird condominiums or other properties south of the border need to buy what it is they can afford and can make them happy, without their estate plans at the forefront of their mind. However, it's important not to be naÃve in these cross-border property purchases, in order to ensure assets pass on in a meaningful way.
Read the full article here.
The Canadian population is becoming increasingly globalized, whether by reason of marriage, property ownership or otherwise. Because of this, Canadian assets are becoming more commonly held in foreign jurisdictions, causing legal complications, especially for estates.
Those dreaming of a tropical escape from the slush and ice of Canadian winters are looking South for a place to thaw out. In particular, current inexpensive housing prices in the United States has made it an attractive place for Canadians to buy real estate. Those in the market for snowbird condominiums or other properties south of the border need to buy what it is they can afford and can make them happy, without their estate plans at the forefront of their mind. However, it's important not to be naÃve in these cross-border property purchases, in order to ensure assets pass on in a meaningful way.
Read the full article here.
[sup]Canadian snowbirds could face U.S. 'tax bomb'
CALGARY ` International tax expert Roy Berg of Calgary has dubbed it the U.S. tax bomb.
And it's something snowbirds should be aware of, as U.S. Congress looks at allowing Canadians to stay south of the border for a longer period of time.
Read the full article here.[/sup]
CALGARY ` International tax expert Roy Berg of Calgary has dubbed it the U.S. tax bomb.
And it's something snowbirds should be aware of, as U.S. Congress looks at allowing Canadians to stay south of the border for a longer period of time.
Read the full article here.[/sup]
U.S. real estate prices will climb
US real estate prices are climbing. The news can impact soft market prices for softwood lumber in Canada and Northwestern Ontario. Higher prices are an economic indicator of demand exceeding supply. If the housing starts in the United States climb, the market for softwood lumber in Canada will increase.
Real estate brokerage Redfin has released its Real-Time Home Price Tracker, posting gains in both prices and sales volume across 19 major U.S. markets in May 2013.
Read the full article here.
US real estate prices are climbing. The news can impact soft market prices for softwood lumber in Canada and Northwestern Ontario. Higher prices are an economic indicator of demand exceeding supply. If the housing starts in the United States climb, the market for softwood lumber in Canada will increase.
Real estate brokerage Redfin has released its Real-Time Home Price Tracker, posting gains in both prices and sales volume across 19 major U.S. markets in May 2013.
Read the full article here.