Southwest Economy, First Quarter 2021
Value-added tax could restrain long-term federal debt
Alan D. Viard, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, discusses how to address the U.S. budget deficit in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 09, 2021
Southwest Economy, First Quarter 2021
Collapsing fuel demand tanks Texas exports during pandemic’s peak
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on Texas energy exports. U.S. energy exports excluding Texas were dramatically less affected.
April 09, 2021
Southwest Economy, First Quarter 2021
Dining out picks up in Texas, Houston
The number of patrons dining at restaurants surged in Texas and Houston after the state thawed from a deep freeze in February and COVID-19 constraints on restaurants and bars were lifted March 10.
April 09, 2021
For many, work-from-home arrangements likely to outlast pandemic
Many workers say they expect to work from home after the pandemic ends. Although commuting remained below prepandemic levels at year-end 2020, it is likely to increase in the near term as labor market conditions improve and home arrangements become more part time.
March 30, 2021
Texas economic conditions improve as price pressures build
Economic conditions in Texas have improved, with the Texas Business Outlook Surveys in February showing a pickup in growth after a deceleration in January.
March 25, 2021
Effects of COVID-19 on tourism, energy weigh on Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana
Economic performance within the individual states of the Eleventh District reflected those states’ underlying relative dependence on the tourism and energy sectors and the effects of restrictions on mobility and engagement during COVID-19.
March 23, 2021
COVID-19 risks expose vulnerabilities, downside risks to U.S. outlook
The COVID-19 crisis has adversely affected the U.S. economy, helping account for a projected 3.4 percent contraction in 2020. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) anticipates a strong 4.6 percent rebound in 2021, making up for those losses.
March 02, 2021
Systemic risks, interdependencies weigh on 2021 global outlook
The path of economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession remains far from clear. A fitful rollout of vaccines and governmental responses to new variants of the virus loom over a global growth rebound that private forecasters estimate at 5.5 percent for 2021.
February 16, 2021
Pandemic pushed the U.S. into recession … and hourly wages rose?
The onset of COVID-19 in spring 2020 prompted an unprecedented rapid rise in the unemployment rate. However, a popular and widely cited wage measure—average hourly earnings (AHE)—rose sharply as the health crisis grew.
February 09, 2021
Texas economy soft in January, but outlook optimistic for later in 2021
Regional economic conditions appeared to deteriorate in January after picking up at year-end, data show. Nonetheless, there is optimism regarding the outlook for growth later this year.
February 04, 2021