economy
Unemployment data from NC Dept. of Commerce, WalletHub
Dec. 2. For the week of Nov. 21, new unemployment claims in North Carolina were 35.95 percent lower than in the previous week, according to WalletHub’s updated rankings for the States Where Unemployment Claims Are Decreasing the Most. But new data released yesterday by the NC Dept. of Commerce is not as rosy. Unemployment rates […]
Obesity weighs heavily on small businesses
Nov. 17. With November being National Diabetes Awareness Month and obesity costing $173 billion each year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Most Overweight & Obese States in America. North Carolina came in 15th in the Most Overweight & Obese States list. West Virginia was first; Colorado, last. Obesity & Overweight Problem […]
Economy by the numbers
Aug. 2. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the GDP contracted .9 percent in the second quarter of 2022, following a steeper dip of 1.6 percent in the first quarter of the year. That comes on top of other negative trends, including a 9.1 percent increase in inflation in June 2022 compared to June […]
NC has 3 cities near the top of ‘Best Places to Start a Business’ list
April 25. Everyone knows Charlotte is at or near the top of US cities in terms of net in-migration, but a new study also ranks it 13th among 100 large US cities to start a business. The study from WalletHub put Durham at fourth-place and Raleigh at eighth-place, in an array of cities from Albuquerque […]
COVID-19 and Easter: More sectors of the economy return to normal
April 5. With COVID-19 hospitalizations continuing to fall, and the BA.2 sub-variant less virulent than its predecessors, it looks like the economy will continue to improve as people get out more and more. COVID-19 numbers are improving statewide—North Carolina is among the nation’s all-around safest states, according to a new WalletHub report—and many people are […]
By the numbers: Mecklenburg home prices
Feb. 21. From 2010 to 2020, there was a 92 percent increase—from $166,600 to $318,000—in the median single-family home sales price in Mecklenburg County, making it harder for lower income and first-time homebuyers to purchase in the market as well as employers to recruit into the market. This comes from the Mecklenburg County Pulse Report […]
High seas: A challenge for the coast, no so much the Inland Sea
Feb. 18. By Dave Yochum. The United States is expected to experience as much sea level rise in the next 30 years as it has in the past 100 years, meaning coastal flooding in the Carolinas will be a more frequent event. The Sea Level Rise Technical Report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration […]
NC, CLT region economies in a better spot than a year ago
Feb. 17. Nationwide, the US Census Bureau is reporting January retail sales increased by 3.8 percent in January over December. The increase, even after accounting for inflation, reflected a strengthening economy even as Omicron was peaking in many parts of the country. Compared to this time last year, sales at grocery stores, restaurants and clothing […]
US Chamber ‘welcomes’ Biden economic rescue plan
Jan. 15. Officials at the US Chamber of Commerce are welcoming President-elect Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan which includes a $1,400 payment per person, raising the minimum wage and a national vaccination program that includes safely opening schools. “We applaud the President-elect’s focus on vaccinations and on economic sectors and families that continue to […]
2Q net at blue harbor up 17%
July 23. Mooresville-based blue harbor bank reported net income of $817,060 and $0.27 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2020, a 17% from the second quarter of 2019. For the six months ended June 30, the net income rose 17 percent to $1,516,150, up from $1,294,880 during the first six months in 2019. […]