China’s shadow banks have increased credit from 120 to 190 percent of GDP.
A historic credit boom, unregulated lenders promising high, “risk-free” returns, and surging property prices making it all go – is this the U.S. in 2004, or China in 2014?
Continue reading… “Is China’s credit bubble about to burst?”
It’s dismaying how easy it is to screw up college.
I don’t know exactly when, why, or how it happened, but important things are breaking down in the US higher education system. Whether or not this system is in danger of collapsing it feels like it’s losing its way, and failing in its mission of developing the citizens and workers we need in the 21st century.
This mission clearly includes getting students to graduate, yet only a bit more than half of all US students enrolled in four-year colleges and universities complete their degrees within six years, and only 29% who start two year degrees finish them within three years. America is last in graduation rate among 18 countries assessed in 2010 by the OECD. Things used to be better; in the late 1960s, nearly half of all college students got done in four years.
Continue reading… “The Sorry State of Higher Education”
There are over 20 million non-employer businesses out there today, with more starting every day.
There is a resurgence of entrepreneurial spirit ever since the recent recession, and more startup activity than ever before. The days of the “job work” mentality are waning, with more people looking to get satisfaction by making the world a better place, rather than just tolerating brain-numbing work to fund enjoyment elsewhere.
Continue reading… “It’s the beginning of a new era for entrepreneurs and startups”
Who has been hiring and hasn’t?
After the start of the worst six months for the U.S. labor market since the Great Depression five years ago, we learned last week that 203,000 new jobs were created in November and the unemployment rate dropped to 7%. Discussion in the immediate aftermath of the news centered on whether the report marked more of the ho-hum same or a sign that, after three years of puttering along, the economy might finally be preparing for a return to something approaching prosperity.
Continue reading… “Who’s hiring and who isn’t hiring”
Americans began taking their foot off the gas pedal well before the recession.
Energy an urban-planning nerds have been pondering a very interesting question these days – has the U.S. passed peak car? Ever since the recession, Americans have been driving less, getting fewer licenses, and using less gas. But is that just the work of the recession, or something more permanent?
Continue reading… “The decline of driving in the U.S.”
There will be significant growth for jobs that require a college education and occupations in health care, energy and technology.
The jobs market for the future currently looks bleak. The unemployment rate has been stuck above 7 percent since December 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And as futurist Thomas Frey recently told AOL Jobs, half of all the jobs in existence today will no longer be around by 2030.
Continue reading… “Top 19 fastest growing occupations”
Between the ages of 25 and 34, 41.3% percent of Americans will spend at least a year earning less than 150 percent of the poverty line.
In the world’s richest country, poverty is an astonishingly common experience. Almost 40 percent of American adults experience it for at least a year by age 60. But poverty is especially common among young adults in America.
Continue reading… “Being a young adult in America is a financial nightmare”
The “sharing economy” is revolutionizing the way Americans think about ownership and commerce.
In New York City, you can rent a room on Airbnb, catch a ride with Uber, sell your old threads on Modabound, and leave your nine-month-old with a shared nanny. The “sharing economy” is revolutionizing the way Americans think about ownership and commerce. It’s also poised to make a handful of venture capitalists in Palo Alto and Tribeca very, very rich. Airbnb is estimated to be worth $2.5 billion. Uber’s valuation is rumored to be $3.5 billion.
Continue reading… “Why it’s time for the sharing economy to become the sharing society”
Cheap solar is a new trend changing the world.
It’s hard to keep up with what’s going on in the world these days. Some facts are familiar to anyone who reads the news. Unemployment is high. Growth is slow. Shale gas is a big deal. But beyond the headlines, shifts are changing the U.S. economy and reshaping the global financial order. Here are ten that have surprised.
Continue reading… “Top 10 stealth economic trends that are changing the world”
A high-speed rail station in China.
Less than four years ago when the cavernous rail station for China’s new high-speed trains were nearly deserted when it opened they opened. But, not anymore.
Continue reading… “High-speed rail lines have transformed China”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently released their data on consumer expenditures for 2012. For the poor, food, clothes, and housing account for more than 60 percent of all spending. The rich have more left over for leisure, insurance, and savings.
Continue reading… “How Americans spent their money in 2012”
The economic recovery belongs to the rich. It seemed ominous in 2007 when the share of national income flowing to America’s top 1% of earners reached 18.3%: the highest since just before the crash of 1929. But whereas the Depression kicked off a long era of even income growth the rich have done much better this time round.
Continue reading… “Income flowing to the top 1% is at a record high”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
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