South Carolina second nationally for net in migration

Dividing the number of persons moving to a state by those moving to and moving from the state gives the percentage of in migration. Using this method, Oregon is the most popular state with 61 percent of movers moving there while just 39 percent moved away. Rounding out the top five are South Carolina at 60 percent, North Carolina at 58 percent, and Washington DC and South Dakota both at 57 percent. New Jersey was last at 36 percent.

Source:
Elliot F. Eisenberg, Ph.D.
GraphsandLaughs, LLC
www.econ70.com

Multifamily leads housing recovery

A large chunk of the credit for our improving economy belongs to multifamily construction. Since hitting a trough of 111,000 multifamily permits in October 2009, multifamily activity has quickly recovered. This past October there were 418,000 multifamily permits pulled, an amazing 73% of the permits pulled in March 2006, the single best month since the late 1980s. If single-family were doing that well, we’d be at 1.3 million SF permits.

Elliot F. Eisenberg, Ph.D.
GraphsandLaughs, LLC
www.econ70.com  

Spending on Home Improvements Continues to Exceed Spending on New Construction

In the third quarter of 2013 investment in home improvements was $178 billion, while construction spending on new single family and town home building was $172 billion.  Each were about one percent of GDP. Similarly, in the first three months of 2013 spending on home improvements was $161 billion, slightly above the $157 billion spent building new home building.

Normally new spending on new home building is double spending on home improvements. Worse, to date in 2013, new home building spending is flat.     

 

Elliot F. Eisenberg, Ph.D.
GraphsandLaughs, LLC

Congress by the numbers

The most active Congress, as measured by the number of bills passed into law, excluding private bills, was the 84th (1955-1956) which passed 1,028 bills. Eisenhower (R) was President; Lyndon Johnson (D) was Senate Majority Leader and Sam Rayburn (D) Speaker of the House. The least active was the 112th (2011-2012) which passed 238 bills. The current 113th Congress is on a pace to pass just 70!

Source: Elliot F. Eisenberg, Ph.D.
GraphsandLaughs, LLC
www.econ70.com

Be glad you don’t live in Greece

While the US economy is not great, be grateful you don’t live in Greece. Unemployment there is 27.4 percent, youth unemployment is a staggering 58 percent and car registrations are down 80 percent. This is because GDP is in its fifth straight year of decline and by the end of 2013, will be back where it was in 2006, a decline of roughly 26 percent! By comparison, peak-to-trough US GDP declined by only 5 percent.

Elliot F. Eisenberg, Ph.D.
GraphsandLaughs, LLC