Tag: Alaska
Another Exploration into the PFD: Part 1
If you haven’t been following along, the amount of the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) isn’t just a matter of calculating the earnings anymore. For the last 4 years, the legislature has moved away from using the traditional formula and has begun determining how much to distribute based on what it […]
Jobs Forecast Challenge: Me vs ISER
On Monday, ISER gave a presentation that suggested the vetoes would cost the economy 4,217 jobs and would send the State whirling back into a recession. I disagree. While it’s ok for us to have different ideas, only one of us will be right. Unfortunately, most people don’t care to […]
Guess Where Alaska Stands in the Oil Race
Back in the 1980’s Alaska was a powerhouse in the oil market. At the time, our young oil fields were the envy of our peers. Texas production was falling, approaching 2 million barrels per day from above as Alaska approached the same mark from below. Briefly, Alaska challenged Texas as […]
Alaska by the Numbers – FY19 Closing Edition
Now that my work with the new administration is done, I’m back to providing you with some light reading. Here’s your monthly breakdown of the things that I’ve been watching in Alaska’s Economy. Although, seeing as today is the first day of the new fiscal year, this edition provides insight […]
Alaska by the Numbers – November Edition
Here’s the big news that broke last month, and how it impacts Alaska’s economy. GMT1 Production Started Ahead of Schedule ConocoPhillips announced that they started flowing oil from the Greater Moose’s Tooth Unit on October 5th. This is a full two months ahead of schedule. While initial flows are only […]
Exploring Alaska’s Budget: Part 1 – Speaking the Language
If you’re watching the gubernatorial debates, you’ve probably noticed that the budget is one of the hot topics. Some candidates say the budget is still too large, others say they’ve done as much as they can to cut it. I hear numbers get thrown around, so my economist ears perk […]
3 Takeaways from Analyzing the PFD
One of the downsides of working alone, is the inability to bounce ideas off others. There is a lot of information gained from seeing brows furrow, lips curl, and eyes glaze over as you speak. Getting challenged to clarify a point or getting another perspective is tremendously valuable. For that […]
Here is What We Think the July Job Numbers are Saying
The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development released preliminary July job numbers on Friday. The general takeaway is that things aren’t better yet, but they are no longer getting worse. We have talked before about how the general health of the economy appears to be nearing the end of […]
A Closer Look at Alaska’s Labor Force
It is the population of an economy that provides the supply of labor and the demand for goods. If the population is declining, you can make a safe bet that the economy isn’t doing well. Many Alaskan’s have probably heard by now that Alaska’s population declined in 2017. If you […]
The Alaska Recession – By the Numbers
We peg the beginning of the Alaska recession at October of 2015. That is the point we identify as when the general economy began a downward trajectory. Prior to October 2015, we can identify some leading indicators that the economy was in trouble. But the data doesn’t show the economy […]