After Six Months of Increases, Small-Business Optimism Drops By NFIB After six months of gains, the Small-Business Optimism Index fell by almost 2 points in March, settling at 92.5. After a promising start to the year, nine of ten index components dropped last month, most notably hiring plans and expected […]

Portland flash mob raid on store gains national attention The news of Oregon’s Easter weekend flash mob attack has made the local news, radio talk shows and now national attention (The Indiana Republic, Drudge Report). As many as 20 youths participated in a flash mob (theft ring) of a Portland […]

By Patrick Emerson, Oregon Economics Blog From NPRs Planet Money a fascinating graph showing percentage of income spent on consumption categories in 1949 and 2011: (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Credit: Lam Thuy Vo / NPR) What struck me immediately, of course, was the decline in the percentage spent on […]

ALERT: Appeals Court Ruling Adds Massive New Liabilities for Owners and Members of LLC’s Article by: J.L. Wilson Associated Oregon Industries In the waning days of the hectic February Legislative Session, a little-noticed decision by the Oregon Court of Appeals will have huge liability ramifications for owners and members of […]

By Free Enterprise U.S. Chamber of Commerce The White House released a report, Keeping America’s Women Moving Forward, which affirms the vital role that women play in the U.S. economy. Women now make up nearly 50% of the American workforce. They are also increasingly the breadwinners in their families. They […]

Our business video pick-of-the-week is CNN’s targeting of the 60,000 retail jobs lost in this year alone. This video shows a quick view of the numbers and possible reasons.

By Oregon Better Business Bureau Consumers researching businesses, products and services may find more than just reliable reviews on the Web; recent research by Cornell University indicates that some feedback is planted. Prior to purchasing, don’t be persuaded by phony praise. “Review sites, blogs and forums are important in the […]

Tim Duy Oregon Economic Forum University of Oregon Economic indicators were mixed in February 2012. The Oregon Measure of Economic Activity fell sharply from -0.07 in January 2012 (revised down from 0.06) to -1.32, where zero indicates the average growth established over the 1990–2011 period. The three-month moving average also […]

Dr. Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregon economist EconInternational There seems to be a bit of back slapping here and there about last year’s personal income growth in Oregon. Oregon was ranked 15th in personal income growth among the United States and the District of Columbia. That ranking just barely puts the […]

Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis  I am currently working on a paper that discusses the Oregon Lottery for an upcoming conference so this work dovetails nicely with the current $640 million record jackpot for Mega Millions…Overall the sale of tickets for these jackpot games (Powerball, Mega Millions and […]