Edward Derbin

EDWARD DERBIN teaches online courses in economics at UC-Berkley and edits a popular website: EconNewsLetter.com. For years, he and Professor Donald Byrne (now deceased) have enjoyed bringing an increasingly relevant view of the American economic landscape to the public. Professor Derbin holds both M.A. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Detroit Mercy. Professor Byrne earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame.

A Falling Unemployment Rate Amidst A Lousy Jobs Report

A Falling Unemployment Rate Amidst A Lousy Jobs Report

When we first saw the August 2013 Employment Situation Report from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, we were appalled at the numbers revealed on the Household Summary Table. Let’s walk through this quickly… The Civilian...

A Great Conundrum

A Great Conundrum

Since the quantitative easing began in December 2008, there have been a total of four rounds implemented (with QE 3 and QE 4 ongoing). The results of the Federal Reserve policy on stabilizing the financial markets and fostering growth have been two...

Just Ahead: An American Economic Boom

Just Ahead: An American Economic Boom

As we have pointed out over the last ten years, the SUBSTITUTION EFFECT is one of the most powerful economic forces that is always at work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 52 weeks a year…  Its results are given other names as well: automation...

Remain Calm, All Is Well

Do you remember the words of Kevin Bacon from the last scene of Animal House? “Remain calm! All is well!” But is it? Let’s keep this as simple as possible and focus entirely on the Employment Status in the Household Survey and what it revealed (on a...

What Does All Of This Mean?

What Does All Of This Mean?

In the latest Employment Report, on March 8, 2013, the media was focusing on how wonderful it was that the payroll employment had risen by 236,000 and how the unemployment rate fell by two-tenths of a percentage point.  On the surface those numbers...

A Recipe For Disaster

A Recipe For Disaster

The experience of U.S. history over the past century shows us that tax rate increases do not stimulate the economy; rather, they depress it.   On the other hand, going back to the Harding and Coolidge era in the 1920s, inspired by the Secretary the...