So I am quoted in this story from the Grand Forks Herald about tax policy changes and employment changes in the state of North Dakota(Link). I thought I would extend my thoughts here. Of all the policies to attempt to heap credit upon for employment gains in the state the tax changes seem to me the least likely. What is more likely?
Continue reading Employment Gains in ND
So the polar vortex is gone (for now). And to answer the question for anyone not going through it, yes it really was that cold. It was brutal on even short jaunts to the mailbox. However I did go out to the store at one point and there I made some interesting observations.
In this post I branch out from the recent wage discussions to broaden the discussion of Grand Forks, ND by looking at employment comparisons.
I create a county map for North Dakota and look at the deviations of average weekly wage in those counties from the state average.
I decided to further look at yield spreads and put a bit of a local spin on it by adding in the element of North Dakota oil production. I am trying to figure out if rates and rate movements impact the oil industry in North Dakota. The interesting thing here is that the cost structure of the firms is really different.
Continue reading Yield Spreads and North Dakota Oil