Why the GDP is Much More Than a Number

Seemingly just a statistic, how we calculate the GDP and how it is used can be controversial and affect the lives of millions of people.

The Reason That Recession Dates Matter

Asked to define a recession, you can give the mechanical answer. It is 2 or more adjacent quarters of a real GDP decline. So, if Q1 GDP grows by 3%, Q2 by 2% and then Q3 by 1%, is that…

Six Facts About Australia From The "World Cup of Everything Else"

In a long list of categories that they called, “The World Cup of Everything Else,” WSJ created brackets from the 32 World Cup teams and determined the winners. In 6 areas, Australia was #1 or #2: For life expectancy, Australia comes in…

What's the Economic Difference Between a Street and a Road?

Our story starts outside of Cleveland during the beginning of the 20th century. With the 4,000 acres that Oris P. and Mantis J. Van Sweringen purchased from the Society of Shakers, the 2 brothers decided to create a planned suburban community.…

Do we spend more on Mother's Day or Father's Day?

Our Monday gender issue: While approximately 85% of us celebrate Mother’s Day, for Father’s Day, maybe 78%. Then, the numbers diminish after we reach 44 years old. And, by the time we are 65, there are only 60% (or so) of us that participate…

When Did We Get “Tough Love” From the Federal Reserve?

Demonstrating Russia’s current plight, this graph so perfectly illustrates stagflation: When GDP sinks and inflation increases, the stagflation that results is tough to cure. If monetary authorities target inflation with tight monetary policy, then interest rates go up and further…

Why Would the Nigerian GDP Double Overnight?

We might have to say BRINC rather than BRICS. As a developing nation with the highest GDP in Africa, South Africa has been the “S” in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China). Now though, Nigeria has raced ahead. During one weekend…

Tall and Short Populations

Princeton economist Angus Deaton estimates that it will take 500 years for Indian women to reach the height of English women. In The Great Escape, Dr. Deaton explains that a population could be short because of nutrition or disease. When babies…