How long will it take before a state’s employment level returns to pre-recession peak? The state map above is featured in the U.S. News and World Report article titled “North Dakota, Alaska Job Markets Fueled By Oil And Gas Boom,” … read more >

The chart above shows how government policies have artificially inflated the U.S. price of sugar to more than double the world price going back to the early 1980s.  World prices have averaged about 14 cents per pound (wholesale) since 1982, … read more >

This week is National Small Business Week, described as a time to celebrate the special impact made by outstanding American entrepreneurs and small business owners, according to the event’s sponsor, the Small Business Administration.  So it’s a good time to … read more >

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported today on existing-home sales in April with the following highlights: 1. Total existing-home sales (single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops) increased 3.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.62 million in … read more >

While Washington squabbled over energy policy, the markets moved us toward cheap, plentiful energy. Joel Kurtzman has an excellent editorial in today’s WSJ about how market prices and technology, more than government policy, are driving the U.S. boom in oil … read more >