Economics

For those who have been early readers of the blog, you might remember the earlier Balloon test which we featured a few years back. We lamented the day it disappeared. That lamentation was replaced with exultation when I recently came across a new version of it. Not perfect.

Larry Fink, CEO and chairman of the world's biggest asset manager, BlackRock, said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has ended globalization.

Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Atlanta collectively gained 300,000 residents from mid-2020 to mid-2021.

Russia is the largest exporter of nitrogen fertilizers in the world but, due to Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine, shipments have been disrupted, supplies have dried up, and prices have soared.

Answer: As of 3/16/22, 10,000 Bitcoin are worth approximately $411 million which could buy a pizza for every resident in the state of Texas (@$15 per pizza)  Questions:  Are you interested in cryptocurrencies? Why or why not? What emotion do you think the pizza buyer is now feeling about this 2010 transaction? Do you know anyone that has ever bought something using a cryptocurrency?

When it comes to estimating the size of demographic groups, Americans rarely get it right. In two recent YouGov polls, we asked respondents to guess the percentage (ranging from 0% to 100%) of American adults who are members of 43 different groups, including racial and religious groups, as well as other less frequently studied groups, such as pet owners and those who are left-handed.

Sunday on 60 Minutes, Lesley Stahl reports on the housing supply crisis and skyrocketing rents facing Americans across the country.

Gen Z consumers are using buy now, pay later services, but they are wary of the spending habits this option could form, according to a new study.

A guaranteed income program designed by and for Black women.

How much does a space flight cost? Here’s a look at the cost per kilogram for space launches across the globe since 1960.

What Russia’s war in Ukraine means for the world economy.

Global happiness levels are determined by several different factors. Here's a look at the happiest and unhappiest countries in every region.

The World Population Project

Epic move by IU cheerleading. Fantastic. pic.twitter.com/KmRIGHcCOz— Lauren Peikoff (@laurenpeikoff) March 18, 2022

A lot has changed since Yahoo and AOL were the homepages of choice. This visualization looks at the largest internet giants in the U.S. since 1998.

Globally, the cost of mobile data ranges between $0.09 per GB up to $27 per GB. Here's how it breaks down in 150+ countries.

The hotly debated Sunshine Protection Act still has to pass the House.

The Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington DC.

Using registration statistics, the AKC has compiled the list of most popular dog breeds of 2021, from #1 through #197. Where does your dog rank?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve launched a high-risk effort Wednesday to tame the worst inflation since the early 1980s, raising its benchmark short-term interest rate and signaling up to six additional rate hikes this year.

EPI’s Family Budget Calculator measures the income a family needs in order to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living. The budgets estimate community-specific costs for 10 family types (one or two adults with zero to four children) in all counties and metro areas in the United States. Compared with the federal poverty line…

As women gain wealth, advisors must prepare to serve them.

Britain requires companies with 250 or more employees to report gender pay gap data. On International Women’s Day, one couple used it to raise awareness about lingering discrepancies.

In this guide, you'll learn 42 tricks to improve your pricing -- all backed by research and science.

To some observers, it's reminiscent of the Freedom Fries episode in 2003.

A court in the US has ruled that cheese does not have to come from the Gruyère region of Switzerland to be sold under this name.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushes up global wheat prices, food-poor countries in the Middle East face higher prices for everyday staples