Make that Eleven!
Column Published in syndication March 22, 2023Texas continues its dominance in attracting major corporate locations and expansions, winning Site Selection magazine's "Governor's Cup" for an impressive eleventh consecutive year. The Cup is awarded to the state with the most projects involving a capital investment of at least $1 million, 20 or more new jobs, or 20,000 square feet of new construction.
Banking Booboos
Column Published in syndication March 15, 2023The recent shenanigans in several banks stoked fears of another financial crisis similar to the Great Recession in 2008 or the meltdown of the 1980s (I wrote a book about that one). Not to worry! The basic problems for each of the affected banks boiled down to inadequate risk management and issues specific to their situations rather than any systemwide weakness.
- Tags:
- banking,
- banking crisis,
- banking industry
The Best Investment
Column Published in syndication March 08, 2023It goes without saying that education is extremely beneficial to individuals, the economy, and society. It brings lower unemployment and higher earnings. Options and opportunities are much more plentiful for those with high school diplomas and post-high school training. Available jobs are not only better paying, but often more personally satisfying. From the perspective of the economy, education is crucial to workforce preparedness and, therefore, prosperity. Long-term demographic trends are not working in our favor, and worker shortages will persist for decades. Texas is better positioned than many states due to our younger population and in-migration, but only if students are well prepared. Excellent public education is the single most important factor in securing our future prosperity.
- Tags:
- education,
- investment
Open for Business
Column Published in syndication March 01, 2023There has been a move afoot of late in Texas to reduce or eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in settings such as higher education and hiring. Such efforts run counter to my boyhood notions of Texas as an open and welcoming place. Irrespective of any purported rationale behind these efforts, they put the state on a slippery economic slope with potentially substantial adverse consequences.
This is NOT 2008!
Column Published in syndication February 22, 2023Recent data regarding the state of the housing market is negative, with sales of existing homes falling to levels not seen since the aftermath of the Great Recession. According to the National Association of Realtors, January existing-home sales across the country were down for the twelfth consecutive month to an annual rate of four million, though some regions (including the south) saw modest improvement. Nationally, sales were 36.9% lower than a year prior.
- Tags:
- home sales,
- housing market
Flying High
Column Published in syndication February 15, 2023It's been about three years since COVID-19 and measures taken to slow its spread brought the world to a screeching halt. One of the hardest hit industries was airlines. The numbers of travelers through TSA checkpoints fell from over two million most days in February 2020 to fewer than 100,000 per day through part of April (a drop of more than 95%).
- Tags:
- air travel,
- recovery
Girding the Grid
Column Published in syndication February 08, 2023The Texas power grid passed another test recently, when a winter storm covered much of the state in a sheet of ice. Although there were significant power outages, some of which lasted a while, they were largely due to ice on lines and trees breaking lines and similar issues. We also had enough power to deal with the even more brutal cold in late December.
- Tags:
- electricity,
- power,
- Texas
Getting the Gas
Column Published in syndication February 01, 2023On December 23, the quantity of natural gas used in the United States set a new daily record. Consumption in the lower 48 states that day was 141.0 billion cubic feet (Bcf), according to estimates reported by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The previous record was 137.4 Bcf, set on January 1, 2018.
- Tags:
- energy,
- LNG,
- natural gas
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
Column Published in syndication January 25, 2023The 2022 employment numbers have just been released, and Texas set the pace by a significant margin. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 42 states and was essentially unchanged in eight plus the District of Columbia according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas gained 650,100 net new jobs, while California rose 621,400 and Florida was up 440,000. The largest percentage increase also occurred in Texas (+5.0%), followed by Florida (+4.8%), and Oregon (+4.2%).
Here We Go Again!
Column Published in syndication January 18, 2023Congress should fix the debt ceiling once and for all--but it won't!
- Tags:
- debt ceiling,
- national debt