Blog - Page 10 of 95 - Conerly Consulting

Most of Bill’s current writings appear on Forbes.com where he is a Senior Contributor.

12 Dec 2011

Real Estate Outlook 2012-2013

Economy

Real estate markets are unbalanced in most parts of the country: vacancy is too high, but construction is too low. That sounds contradictory, because construction should be low when vacancy is high. Looking forward, however, …

27 Nov 2011

European Financial Crisis

Economy

Two resources for understanding the European financial crisis: Barry Eichengreen lecturing about the European crisis (hat tip to Economist's View, runs 1 hour 28 minutes): Saturday Night Live also explains the crisis (a …

24 Nov 2011

An Economist’s Thanksgiving: I, Pencil

Economy

(The following essay is reprinted courtesy of the Foundation for Economic Education.) I, Pencil By Leonard E. Read I am a lead pencil—the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who …

22 Nov 2011

Updated Economic Forecast 2012-2013

Business Strategy Economy

I expect economic growth better than we've had the past few quarters, back up to the pace that we enjoyed in early 2010. Serious risks from Europe mean that business leaders should do some economic …

21 Nov 2011

Economic Policy: The Real Expert Viewpoint

Economy Public Policy

We economists are often accused of never agreeing with one another, but the accusation is often not true. It appears to be true with respect to public policy because almost every policy has winners and …

17 Nov 2011

World Growth and the United States Economy

The ever-insightful Mark Perry has a fascinating chart on his Carpe Diem blog: "EU-15" refers to Europe. Accounts of America falling behind are not accurate, though the last few years have been difficult. We have …

15 Nov 2011

Risk of Recession

Business Strategy Economy

Here's a quick update on the risk of recession. The Wall Street Journal's survey of economists shows the risk of recession is believed to be about one chance in four, down from one chance in …

14 Nov 2011

Business Sensitivity to the Economy and Corporate Hubris

Business Strategy Economy

Fortune has a good article profiling the agricultural processor Cargill. I can't help but to note the hubris in vice-chairman Paul Conway's statement: "As far as how our corporate strategy works we don't say, 'We …

13 Nov 2011

The European Financial Crisis and U.S. Financing Opportunities

Business Strategy Economy

The European financial crisis has sent jitters around the world. For corporate financial managers in the United States the crisis raises questions about the availability of credit for mergers and acquisitions, operating lines and other …

12 Nov 2011

Income Inequality and Business Planning

Business Strategy Economy

People are asking about measures of income inequality, so I left my camp in Occupy Lake Oswego to gather some information for you. A good summary of what we know is in this article from …

8 Nov 2011

Banks More Willing to Lend

Economy

The latest data from the Federal Reserve Survey of Senior Loan Officers show that banks continue to loosen their credit standards and narrow their interest rate spreads on commercial and industrial loans. The chart shows …

7 Nov 2011

What Should the Government Do About the Economy?

Economy Public Policy

I’ve been avoiding public policy in this blog, preferring to focus on ideas with actionable implications for business leaders. However, you’ve been asking, so here’s the answer. You should probably ignore this post and get …