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The Reports: July 24-July 28

Rene Schwietzke/flickr

Click on the image for the MERs for the week of July 24. 

While it is true that the current economic expansion has generated low rates of economic growth by historic standards, this has been an unusually lengthy recovery.  We have now completed eight years of economic growth. The number of jobs has expanded for eighty-one consecutive months...

It had to happen eventually – the State of Illinois passed a budget.  Illinois is America’s fifth most populous state. The state’s bond rating is just above junk territory, but according to Standard and Poors, the odds of further downgrade within the next year have been substantially diminished thanks to the newly passed budget...

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This summer, the City of Detroit marks two major milestones.  These are the 50th anniversary of the 1967 riots and the 40th anniversary of the city’s bankruptcy filing. As indicated by a recent Wall Street Journal article, two different Detroits have emerged out of these events...

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There are a number of reasons that help explain why home prices are rising in most American communities.  The nation is adding jobs, mortgage rates are low, more people are entering their thirties, helping to rejuvenate the first-time homebuyer market...

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It would probably be a good thing if more of us exercised more frequently. There are economic considerations – more than a third of America’s adults are obese, which results in a host of health issues including elevated levels of heart disease... 

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Anirban Basu, Chariman Chief Executive Officer of Sage Policy Group (SPG), is one of the Mid-Atlantic region's leading economic consultants. Prior to founding SPG he was Chairman and CEO of Optimal Solutions Group, a company he co-founded and which continues to operate. Anirban has also served as Director of Applied Economics and Senior Economist for RESI, where he used his extensive knowledge of the Mid-Atlantic region to support numerous clients in their strategic decision-making processes. Clients have included the Maryland Department of Transportation, St. Paul Companies, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Players Committee and the Martin O'Malley mayoral campaign.