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

GDP Lousy But Not Awful

Today's GDP report showed positive growth, by the least little bit possible, 0.1 percent. This is lousy, but it's not awful because some of the bad news is temporary. The bad weather is part of …
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Housing Vacancy Rates Flat

Forget what the Realtors call "inventory." Forget short-sales, bank-owned, and upside-down. The best measure of the housing market is how many units are empty. A normal market has vacancy. Someone moves out of a house, …
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Consumers In Moderate Mode

Consumers are feeling better about current conditions and prospects for the future, but the improvement is gradual and subject to short-term swings. Business leaders reading the papers or watching TV might think that "consumers are …
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Business Capital Spending Flat

Businesses are not growing their capital expenditures, though we can take a little comfort that neither are they shrinking them. Corporations are sitting on lots of cash, and interest rates are very low for credit-worth …
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Corporate Executives Are Lagging, Not Leading

In economic indicator parlance, a "leading indicator" changes BEFORE the overall economy changes. (Think of the "lead dog" rather than the "leading lady".) A lagging indicator changes AFTER the overall economy. The Business Roundtable quarterly …
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Economic Forecast 2014 Presented By Banner Bank

The Economic Alliance of Snohomish County’s “Economic Forecast 2014,” presented by Banner Bank, will be March 20, 2014. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Bill Conerly, known for connecting the dots between the economy . …
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