Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the October Unemployment Report, the last report before the general election on November 6th. The report showed an uptick in the overall rate from 7.8% to 7.9%. As with every month, we delve into the numbers not commonly reported in the media, to get a better understanding of […]

Charlie Arlinghaus October 31, 2012 As originally published in the New Hampshire Union Leader The biggest state political issue no one is talking about is debt. Everyone knows of the federal debt problem. Most people (except, perhaps, for my most faithful readers) do not know about the debt explosion at the state level that is […]

Charlie Arlinghaus October 24, 2012 As originally published in the New Hampshire Union Leader Starting in 2008, the governor and Legislature adopted a series of unusual practices that obscured spending decisions. As a result, the two gubernatorial candidates this year fight over what the facts really are. Republican Ovide Lamontagne claims that Democrat Maggie Hassan […]

According to the foreclosure tracking firm Realtytrac, the number foreclosure filings in New Hampshire fell sharply to 423.  240 are headed for the auction block, while the balance were taken over by the lenders. With only 423 filings statewide, September saw the fewest monthly foreclosures in the 12 months, continuing the general downward trend that […]

Charlie Arlinghaus October 17, 2012 As originally published in the New Hampshire Union Leader Surprising all political observers, November’s up-or-down vote on an income tax is neck-and-neck. This is a rare opportunity for voters to express an opinion on one issue alone without having to agree with the person advocating the issue on everything else. […]

Josh Elliott-Traficante October 2012 The official unemployment rate has come under fire as of late. The past year has given rise to the charge by many that the unemployment rate under represents the true state of unemployment. Many have cited the U-6 rate which is currently around 14.0%. (For a description of the different rates, […]

Charlie Arlinghaus October 10, 2012 As originally published in the New Hampshire Union Leader Elections are about making choices but often the information we use to make those choices is misleading or confusing. This is particularly true in the area of the New Hampshire budget where mythical information passes for fact all the time. The […]

Today the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released the September Jobs Report, which saw the unemployment rate drop to 7.8%. Like all of our previous Monthly Jobs Report analyses, we take a closer look at the data beyond the unemployment rate. Below are this month’s takeaways: 1.      All of the metrics show modest improvement Looking […]

Charlie Arlinghaus October 3, 2012 As originally published in the New Hampshire Union Leader Two weeks ago, the state board of education denied every charter school application before them citing a financial problem that didn’t exist. Further their action circumvented legislation and calls into question whether they should be permitted to continue in their role […]

The New Hampshire Retirement System announced Friday that the pension fund posted a 0.9% gain for Fiscal Year 2012. Preliminary estimates had projected a 0.7% gain, but upon the final calculation for the fund’s real estate and alternative assets, the rate of return was revised upward. In the quarterly investment highlights, the system also published […]