Regional Economics Commons^™

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report Fourth Quarter 2018, King Banaian, Richard Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Slower economic growth is expected in the Northwest Minnesota planning area over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Only one of the five index components increased in the most recent quarter as the LEI fell by 3.65 points. The decline in the leading index was largely caused by a reduction in the number of residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks. Higher regional initial jobless claims and weakening in a national consumer sentiment index also weighed on the future Northwest Minnesota …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report Third Quarter 2018, King Banaian, Richard Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Continued steady economic growth is expected in the Northwest Minnesota planning area over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Three of five index components increased in the most recent quarter as the LEI fell by a modest 0.97 points. The decline in the leading index was largely caused by a fall in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a less robust macroeconomic environment for rural America). A small decline in the number of residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks also …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report Second Quarter 2018, King Banaian, Richard Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Continued steady economic growth is expected in the Northwest Minnesota planning area over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Four of five index components increased in the most recent quarter as the LEI rose 2.26 points. An increase in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more robust macroeconomic environment for rural America) and a larger number of residential building permits in Fargo/ Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks were among the positive components in this quarter’s leading index. A rise in the number …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report First Quarter 2018, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Strong economic growth is expected in the Northwest Minnesota planning area over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Four of five index components increased in the most recent quarter as the LEI rose 7.02 points. An increase in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more robust macroeconomic environment for rural America) and a larger number of residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks were among the positive components in this quarter’s leading index. A rise in the number of new …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report Third Quarter 2017, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Somewhat slower economic growth is expected in the Northwest Minnesota planning area over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Three of five index components decreased in the most recent quarter as the LEI fell 1.31 points. A decrease in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America), a lower number of residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, and declining new filings for LLC and incorporation in Northwest Minnesota all helped drag down the third …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2017, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Northwest Minnesota planning area economy is expected to experience steady growth over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Three of the five index components increased as the LEI rose 1.78 points in the second quarter. An increase in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals an improving macroeconomic environment for rural America), lower initial jobless claims in the region, and an increase in new filings for LLC and incorporation in Northwest Minnesota all contributed favorably to the second quarter outlook. Weaker residential building permits …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2017, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Northwest Minnesota planning area economy is expected to experience steady growth over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of the five index components increased as the LEI was essentially unchanged in the first quarter. An increase in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals an improving macroeconomic environment for rural America) and lower initial jobless claims contributed favorably to the first quarter outlook. Weaker residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, and slower new filings for LLC and incorporation in …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report Fourth Quarter 2017, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Steady economic growth is expected in the Northwest Minnesota planning area over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Three of five index components increased in the most recent quarter as the LEI rose 3.03 points. A decrease in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America) and a lower number of residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks were the only negative components in this quarter’s leading index. A rise in the number of new …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2016, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Northwest Minnesota planning area economy is expected to experience strong growth over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Four of the five components of the leading index were higher in the fourth quarter, as the LEI surged by 7.84 points. An increase in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals an improving macroeconomic environment for rural America) and stronger consumer sentiment helped drive the index higher. Lower initial jobless claims and increased residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks also …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Northwest Minnesota planning area economy is expected to continue to grow at a pace that is somewhat below normal over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of the five components of the leading index were lower in the third quarter, as the LEI fell by 0.81 points. A declining Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America) and weaker consumer sentiment helped drive the index lower. Lower initial jobless claims and rising new filings for incorporation …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Northwest Minnesota planning area economy is expected to grow at a slower pace than normal over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Three of the five components of the leading index were lower in the second quarter, causing the LEI to decrease by 3.66 points. A declining Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America), a smaller number of residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, and lower new filings for incorporation and LLC …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

An increased pace of economic activity is expected in Northwest Minnesota over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). While two of the five components of the leading index were lower in the first quarter, the LEI still increased by 5.49 points. A rise in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a less challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America), lower initial jobless claims in the region, and a slight increase in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks residential building permits helped drive the index …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

A steady pace of economic activity is expected in Northwest Minnesota over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of the five components of the leading index were lower in the fourth quarter and the LEI was essentially unchanged at -0.24 points. A fall in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America) and a rise in initial jobless claims were the two components that helped drag down the LEI. Increased new filings for incorporation and limited …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northwest Minnesota business conditions are expected to soften over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). All five components of the leading index were lower in the third quarter as the LEI retreated by 9.37 points. A more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America and recent weakness in consumer sentiment were two components that helped drag down the LEI. In addition, rising initial jobless claims during the summer months and a prior decline in new filings for incorporation and limited liability companies (LLCs) weighed …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northwest Minnesota business conditions are expected to improve over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). A stronger macroeconomic environment for rural America and rising consumer sentiment have contributed to a 2.06 point increase in the LEI. After two consecutive quarters of decline in the LEI, the Northwest Minnesota economy seems likely to grow more rapidly over the next several months. However, this part of the state is particularly vulnerable to weakness in the agriculture and energy sectors of the economy, so outside factors …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2015, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northwest Minnesota business conditions are expected to slow over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). A weaker macroeconomic environment for rural America and softness in consumer sentiment have contributed to an 8.01 point decline in the LEI. With two consecutive quarters of decline in the LEI, the Northwest Minnesota economy seems likely to grow less rapidly over the next several months. While a sustained downturn in economic activity seems unlikely to hit this portion of the state, it is worth noting that weakness …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2014, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northwest Minnesota business conditions are expected to slow over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). An improvement in consumer sentiment and a small gain in a general measure of rural economic health contributed favorably to the fourth quarter LEI. A fall in new incorporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) as well as recent increases in initial jobless claims and a decline in residential building permits earlier in 2014 in Northwest Minnesota’s metropolitan areas had a negative influence on the leading index. The SCSU …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2014, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northwest Minnesota business conditions are expected to improve over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). While the macroeconomic environment for rural America seems to have weakened in the third quarter, improvements in consumer sentiment, a rise in new incorporations and limited liability companies (LLCs), and reduced initial jobless claims have strengthened the LEI in recent months. The SCSU Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 1.46 points in the third quarter and it now stands 2.5 percent above its level one year …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report, Second Quarter 2014, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northwest Minnesota business conditions are expected to improve over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). The macroeconomic environment for rural America has improved and consumer sentiment has strengthened in recent months. A rise in new business formation along with an increase in residential building permits in Northwest Minnesota’s two major metropolitan areas also helped drive the LEI higher in the second quarter. The SCSU Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators is now 1.4 percent above its level one year ago as it …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report: First Quarter 2014, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northwest Minnesota business conditions are expected to slow over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators. The macroeconomic environment for rural America has softened and consumer sentiment has slowed slightly. Poor weather did not interfere much with building permits in the region’s two metro areas. The Northwest Minnesota index in contrast rose 2.2 percent in the previous year, so we foresee no recession, just a slower period than 2012 or 2013.

There were 1,024 new business filings with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of …