The Texas Economic Outlook
Column Published in syndication July 09, 2025Though certainly not immune to national and global issues (particularly with regard to tariff and immigration policies), Texas continues to display notable momentum. The state is emerging as an epicenter for the ongoing digital transformation, with semiconductor plants and their associated suppliers, data centers, crypto miners, and others choosing to locate in the state. Life sciences and other emerging industries are also seeing accelerated activity. Vast natural resources remain a catalyst to growth, and in addition to oil and natural gas, the state is also the leader in the next phase of energy development including renewables, new potential sources, and climate-oriented technologies.
- Tags:
- Texas,
- economic forecast
Housing Headaches
Column Published in syndication July 02, 2025The US housing market continues to struggle, with 2024 sales of existing homes reaching a 30-year low and affordability remaining a major challenge for many potential buyers. Although the most recent data shows some signs of improvement in selected measures, other problems are persisting. Let's hit a few high points.
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- housing
Turning on the Juice
Column Published in syndication June 25, 2025The 89th Session of the Texas Legislature adjourned on June 2 after 140 days. As with every biennium, there were both good and not-so-good elements of the outcome. Considerable progress was made in dealing with a number of challenges facing the state, including, among others, public school finance and teacher pay (though much remains to be done), water supplies, rural health care, wildfire preparation, and the current topic of electric power supplies and the stability of the grid. Amongst the usual sound and fury, there were clear steps in the right direction.
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- electricity,
- power grid
Partly Cloudy
Column Published in syndication June 18, 2025The US economy is presently facing daunting challenges on multiple fronts. Nonetheless, signs of remarkable underlying strength and resilience persist. Our latest forecast indicates reasonable growth over the next five years, although the pace will likely be uneven and backloaded in light of current uncertainty. In other words, the crystal ball is a bit cloudier than usual.
- Tags:
- economy,
- economic forecast
Glaring Global Gloom
Column Published in syndication June 11, 2025A new report on the global economic outlook has recently been released. The World Economic Forum regularly surveys chief economists, with the current information collected during the first half of April. The findings are worthy of note.
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- global,
- economic forecast
Harming Health Hurts
Column Published in syndication June 04, 2025Medicaid allows some of the nation's most vulnerable residents to obtain needed health care, thus improving the lives of individuals and families. Without insurance coverage, many people will postpone needed appointments or even forego essential treatments. The inevitable result is worse health outcomes and even higher death rates as manageable problems escalate. Empirical evidence suggests that increasing Medicaid coverage improves health and reduces mortality rates. In fact, life expectancy is extended by more than a year for those with coverage.
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- Medicaid
And So It Begins
Column Published in syndication May 28, 2025The economic theories supporting free trade were introduced in the early 19th century, when the basic concepts of comparative advantage were logically and mathematically derived. It is one of those ideas that we don't often ponder, but it has played a fundamental role in shaping our world and is the reason why we have an integrated global business complex that has allowed the US to become the strongest economy in human history.
A Little Dip
Column Published in syndication May 21, 2025During the first quarter, US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell for the first time since we began emerging from the pandemic. It wasn't a huge amount - just a 0.3% drop on an annualized basis - yet it was a sharp contrast to the 2.4% gain observed during the previous quarter. Let's dig a little deeper.
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- GDP
What did the March Personal Consumer Price Index show?
Column Published in syndication May 21, 2025Dr. Perryman discusses the March Personal Consumer Price Index.
- Tags:
- inflation
What would a decrease in tourism mean for the US?
Column Published in syndication May 21, 2025Dr. Perryman discusses the impact of a decrease in tourism.
- Tags:
- tourism