Archives

September 27, 2016 - Fighting lodging tax creep in Beaverton

A tale of two cities: Seaside & Beaverton By Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, Tourism continues to flourish along Oregon’s coastline and with that success comes efforts by some communities to double down on tourism related investments that can further drive their local economies. The City of Seaside is a […]


September 26, 2016 - Are the dog days over?

 by Jason Norris, CFA Executive Vice President of Research Ferguson Wellman, A leading Oregon financial firm Stocks finished the week (9/18 to 9/23) up over one percent as the Fed held steady on rates but provided positive commentary on the U.S. economy. With the lack of Fed action, the 10-year […]


September 23, 2016 - Congress shouldn’t repeal debit rule

By National Retail Federation The National Retail Federation asked Congress to reject legislation that would both undermine competition and repeal the Federal Reserve’s cap on debit card swipe fees. The proposed bill would unleash new, higher, hidden swipe fees that could more than double without competitive routing options and the […]


September 22, 2016 - Measure 97: Any Pinocchios Yet?

By Fred Thompson, Oregon Economics Blog So far, my criticisms have been directed to the pro-97 camp – to claims like Gov. Brown’s that “there is a basic unfairness in our tax system that makes working families pay an increasing share for state and local services.” Not so. Oregon has […]


September 21, 2016 - Oregon: 3rd fastest growing household income

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog The big economic news last week wasn’t our office’s forecast, but the big jump in median household incomes nationwide. Two separate reports showed two different numbers: the Current Population Survey gains were 5.2% and the American Community Survey gains were 3.8%. […]


September 20, 2016 - Sen. Wyden featured in Snowden film

Sen. Wyden featured in Snowden film By Oregon Small Business Association U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has now been seen in two major motion pictures in the past two years over a single question. First it was the 2016 Oscar winning documentary on Eric Snowden entitled The Fourth Citizen. The film […]


September 19, 2016 - Reading the Fed’s Tea Leaves

by Deidra Krys-Rusoff Senior Vice President Ferguson Wellman, A leading Oregon financial firm Despite volatility, the stock market appears to heading for a slight gain of around 0.5 percent for the week [12th-16th]. Bond yields trended higher, with the benchmark 10-year trading at 1.66 percent versus last Friday’s level of […]


September 15, 2016 - Great Recession & Housing Busts Metros

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog One of the defining features of the Great Recession is the housing bubble that preceded it and set the stage for the collapse. The regions of the county that experienced the biggest bubble, also experienced the largest fallout when it burst.


September 14, 2016 - Oregon in Position to Lasso Drone Business

By Oregon Prosperity Project Pendleton, home of the Pendleton Roundup, held a very different type of rodeo August 18-19. The first Pendleton Ag Drone Rodeo shared at least one trait with traditional events such as the Pendleton Roundup that started more than a century ago: It showcased activities that can […]


September 13, 2016 - Changing landscape of Oregon’s restaurants

By Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, Changes in our country relating to overtime work are finally upon us. As of December 1, 2016 employers will be required to pay employees classified as exempt from overtime a salary of at least $47,476 a year or $913 a week. If an employee […]