Feature Channels: Economics

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Wealthier minorities were more likely to receive subprime loans than were affluent whites, according to a New York University study of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data from 2006 — the peak of the previous decade’s housing boom. Moreover, black and Latino applicants were more likely to be denied prime loans — even after controlling for gender and income.

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Since the mid-1980s, unrestrained household spending has damaged American family finances — despite the fact that globalization and technological change have caused consumer prices to fall widely, says Queens College sociologist Joseph Nathan Cohen.

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The onset of the Great Recession and, more generally, deteriorating economic conditions lead mothers to engage in harsh parenting, such as hitting or shouting at children, a team of researchers has found. But the effect is only found in mothers who carry a gene variation that makes them more likely to react to their environment.

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The strikingly high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the American South can be partially traced to rapid economic growth between 1950 and 1980, new research suggests.

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People who feel isolated are more inclined to make risker financial decisions for bigger payoffs, according to new research presented at the American Psychological Association’s 121st Annual Convention.

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The unemployment rate is in a holding pattern and so is your career. Will you be ready for the next move when the job market expands?

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In 2002, the federal government mandated that corporate boards of directors include at least one “audit committee financial expert” to help avert future accounting scandals. But the title and description of that position may have an unintended negative effect on the gender diversity of corporate boards, argues Seletha Butler, assistant professor of law and ethics at Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

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A UT Dallas finance expert's new research suggests that before you invest in certain industries, it could pay off to consider which political part is in the White House. Dr. Jun Li, assistant professor of finance in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, found that industries that benefit directly or indirectly from government spending have higher-than-average profits during Democratic presidencies. These include defense, oil and gas, shipbuilding and scientific research.

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American workers who found themselves in part-time positions in the aftermath of the economic downturn still struggle to find full-time work and are much more likely to be living in poverty than their peers with full-time work, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

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Analyzing the maize trade among 217 nations suggests that if U.S. maize exports are disrupted due to environmental or other factors, supplies and food security in many nations could be jeopardized due to the bilateral nature of trade patterns.

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More food producers need to create sustainable business strategies that not only reduce emissions but guarantee a healthier future for both their businesses and consumers, according to a July 14 panel discussion at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo® in Chicago held at McCormick Place.

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A researcher finds correlation between financial arguments, decreased relationship satisfaction.

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U.S. lodging executives’ sentiment about general business conditions was up slightly in May compared to the prior month, according to the University of New Hampshire Lodging Executives Sentiment Index (LESI) for the current month ending May 2013. The index moved from 69.3 in April 2013 to 71.2 in May 2013.

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Bankruptcy expert Daniel L. Keating, JD, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, is warning policymakers that any tweaks to the bankruptcy code could have unintended consequences and do little to improve the system. The ABI (American Bankruptcy Institute) Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 is collecting input and will prepare recommendations for Congress in coming months.

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High-frequency trading strategies that exploit today's fragmented equity markets reduce investor profits overall, according to new findings by University of Michigan engineering researchers.

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A new study by accounting professor Yaniv Konchitchki finds greater transparency in firms’ earnings has a positive effect on the bottom line.

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To continue building their companies, growth entrepreneurs depend on short-term, liquid sources of debt financing such as bank loans, even though winning a thumbs-up from bankers is no cakewalk. Yet University of New Hampshire researchers have shed new light on how entrepreneurs can influence their creditworthiness.

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It is a long-held assumption that large cities benefit from economies of scale. New research by Boise State University visiting professor of economics Michail Fragkias questioning this assumption could help shape how major cities are built and managed in the coming decades.

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A new study suggests that U.S. businesses pay almost $6,000 per year extra for each employee who smokes compared to the cost to employ a person who has never smoked cigarettes. Researchers say it's the first study to take a comprehensive look at the financial burden for companies employing smokers.

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A recent study of physical attractiveness and how it impacts real estate brokers’ pay and productivity shows that the more attractive the real estate agent, the higher the listing price of the home for sale.

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A study of 365 sell-side financial analysts shows that private phone calls with managers remain an essential source of analysts’ earnings forecasts and stock recommendations – even in light of regulations limiting businesses’ selective disclosure of financial information.

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A new study suggests that the decline of labor unions, partly as an outcome of computerization, is the main reason why U.S. corporate profits have surged as a share of national income while workers’ wages and other compensation have declined.

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Firms that make greater investments in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives see less risk in their stock prices during economic downturns, according to a new study from the University of Iowa.

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Floridians’ consumer confidence rose another two points in May to 81 — a third straight month of increases for a post-recession high, according to a University of Florida survey.

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Economic incentives such as gift cards, T-shirts, and time off from work motivate people to increase their donations of blood without endangering the blood supply.

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Researchers in the Department of Economics at Texas A&M University studied a historical archive of airline ticket purchases and found the best deals are on the weekend.

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Researchers at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service today unveiled a new poverty measure designed to more accurately reflect the economic distress among residents of the commonwealth.

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A new study from the University of Iowa suggests that managers of small firms better protect their shareholders’ stock value by fending off potential acquisitions by larger firms with overpriced stock.

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Each new manufacturing job in the seven-county Chicago region creates another 2.2 jobs in the region on average, according to a new report from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Averages range from 7.3 additional jobs for each new oil refinery worker to 0.5 additional jobs for each new textile worker.

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Low-income families have been hit hard by the rising cost of child care in America, and federal child care subsidies are one of the most important ways to mitigate rising child care costs that, for some households, now represent more than a third of their annual income, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.