Archives

October 17, 2016 - Why stocks were down

 by Jason Norris, CFA Executive Vice President of Research Ferguson Wellman, A leading Oregon financial firm A Nobel Prize for Bob Dylan couldn’t buoy the markets last week. Uncertainty in China and a rocky start to earnings season resulted in a down week for stocks. While equities rallied on Friday, […]


October 14, 2016 - Details behind Hillary’s death tax increase

By NFIB, Brace yourselves, owners: Hillary Clinton‘s plans to raise the estate tax could be a huge hit to small businesses and farmers. The Democratic presidential candidate has proposed an increase to a top rate of 65 percent, a number that small business owners and farmers fear could put them […]


October 13, 2016 - Low-paying jobs concentrated in these few areas

By Oregon Employment Department, Oregon’s minimum wage will increase each year through 2022, as outlined in Senate Bill 1532, which was passed on March 2, 2016.  The Oregon Employment Department has studied this topic from many angles. For example, we know minimum wage jobs account for about 5 percent of […]


October 12, 2016 - Debunking Oregon’s glowing job growth

Dr. Eric Fruits Oregon Small Business Association For much of the past year, economists employed by the State of Oregon have described the state’s employment growth as running at “full throttle.” Even the most recent forecast from the state says the Oregon’s job growth is full throttle. The dictionary, however, […]


October 11, 2016 - Measure 97 impact on restaurants

By Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, In a few short weeks it will be hard to miss the battle taking place on Oregon’s ballot between those advocating for more tax revenue for state government versus those against it. The $6 billion tax increase proposal is the largest in state history […]


October 10, 2016 - Why Rent Control won’t work in Portland

By Cascade Policy Institute, Once again, Portland led the nation this July with its home prices rising 12.4 percent year-over-year versus the national average of just 5.0 percent. As of April, Portland remained the 12th most expensive rental market in the nation. These numbers are not unrelated. Housing prices are […]


October 6, 2016 - EEOC Refreshes Guidance on Retaliation

EEOC Refreshes Guidance on Retaliation By Allison Jacobsen Retaliation is the most frequent basis for discrimination claims made by employees, and charges alleging retaliation have nearly doubled since 1998. Retaliation claims arise when employees allege that they suffered an adverse employment action because they engaged in protected activity, such as […]


October 5, 2016 - Peak Renter is Here

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog A year ago our office asked “Is 2015 Peak Renter?” We laid out a straightforward case examining the three main underlying drivers for the shift into rentership over the past decade: household finances, demographics, and preferences and tastes. We know the […]


October 3, 2016 - Worst home ownership since 1965 — hits Oregon

By Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon, It’s not your imagination, Portland is increasingly becoming a city of renters. The U.S. Homeownership rate in the second quarter of 2016 fell to its lowest level since 1965 – 62.9%. Economists and pundits are split on the reasons why. Some argue that it is […]