Southwest Economy, Third Quarter 2022
Office markets slowly emerge from pandemic slump
The pandemic seismically shifted work from the office to home, particularly during its initial lockdown phases. Even when these limits and capacity restrictions eased and economic activity rebounded, office space demand remained soft and vacancy rates climbed.
October 03, 2022
Southwest Economy, Third Quarter 2022
Big federal stimulus, home-value spike won’t ease next slump
Ultra-low interest rates and a historic housing boom that aided state and local government operations are fading, suggesting Texas policymakers may encounter additional difficulties during the next downturn.
October 03, 2022
Shift to working from home diminished large cities’ productivity premium
Since the start of the pandemic, the reduced presence of in-office workers has reduced the wage premium attached to large cities and may have diminished the productivity edge of these areas.
August 30, 2022
Vaccines were key to curbing COVID-19 in Europe; other measures also useful
Vaccine uptake was the most important factor in reducing effective transmission rates in 2021, though the other factors helped bring infections under control.
August 23, 2022
Lowest-income workers see accelerated earnings growth during pandemic
In many respects, the pandemic has disproportionately harmed low-income workers. Earnings growth, triggered by labor shortages and high turnover rates, could be a rare exception.
August 08, 2022
Globalization Institute Working Paper
Social Distancing, Vaccination and Evolution of COVID-19 Transmission Rates in Europe
This paper provides estimates of COVID-19 transmission rates and explains their evolution for selected European countries since the start of the pandemic taking account of changes in voluntary and government-mandated social distancing, incentives to comply, vaccination and the emergence of new variants.
July 12, 2022
Southwest Economy, Second Quarter 2022
Changing economy likely to test banks as stimulus ends, growth slows
Banks in the region and the U.S., which have benefited from pandemic-era fiscal stimulus, face downside risks arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ongoing COVID-19 shocks abroad and expectations of significant central bank tightening to address elevated inflation.
July 01, 2022
Initial unemployment claims appear stable over past several months
It is likely that the latest rise in initial claims reflects difficulty adjusting the data for seasonal patterns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than a deterioration in underlying economic conditions.
June 28, 2022
Fed liquidity facility successfully anchored commercial real estate amid pandemic
The Federal Reserve responded to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with several liquidity facilities to ensure a continuing flow of credit to households and businesses. The TALF, which financed highly rated asset-backed securities, proved especially important to supporting commercial real estate finance.
May 24, 2022
Texas job growth moderates as price pressures, supply-chain issues persist
Texas employment growth eased in March, though it remained steady in the first quarter and exceeded U.S. job growth.
May 12, 2022