At this point, you’ve probably heard more about the COVID-19 than you can stand. I feel you. And I don’t want to pile on to the discussion about the disease itself. But, the measures to protect public health will have economic consequences. While doing a full analysis of that economic damage is more work than[…]
Here is your monthly update on some of the things that impacted Alaska’s finances and economy. The Legislature Gaveled In on January 21st The primary responsibility of the legislature is to appropriate the money needed to run the state government. Unlike last year, the House Finance Committee got right to work. The subcommittees are currently[…]
Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to turn our attention back to Alaska’s financial problems. Here are some of the highlights of what happened in December 2019. The Governor Released His FY21 Budget Proposal The governor rolled out his proposed FY21 budget on December 11th. To the surprise of many observers, Governor Dunleavy[…]
Here is your free monthly update on what’s going on in Alaska’s economy. The Labor Market Keeps Improving According to the Department of Labor numbers released last week, Alaska extended its winning streak to 12 consecutive months of job growth. The jobs count in September 2019 was a total of 2,000 jobs higher than in[…]
A lot happened in Alaska during the month of August. Here’s the run down on how we read the headlines. BP and Hilcorp Agreed to Terms on Alaska Assets The news that broke the internet in Alaska last week was a press release from BP. They announced that they were selling all of their remaining[…]
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 find out why our ideas[…]
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 into how fiscal year 2019[…]
Before we can have a meaningful discussion about tax policy, let me briefly describe the way an economy functions. Until that foundation is laid, the impacts of taxation cannot be fully understood. The Bucket Analogy A classic metaphor of an economy is to visualize a bucket of water. The level of water within the bucket[…]
We all dream about what we would do if a couple million dollars fell into our laps. It turns out, most of those stories don’t work out the way we would think. Lottery winners don’t always make the best decisions. Instead, they buy luxurious houses and cars, and go on exotic vacations. Before long, all[…]