Category / Dollar

by Hoosier Econ

Most Valuable Exports by State

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H/T Washington Post

by Hoosier Econ

How Many Wineries Are in Indiana?

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There are 76 wineries in the Hoosier state. Indiana produces 1.4 million gallons of wine a year, but it grows only 650 acres of grapes.

H/T TheStarPress.com

by Hoosier Econ

Walmart Expanding on College Campuses

I took a look at some Walmart store expansion numbers to see where the company is expanding. This is current data from February 2015.

First lets go overseas where they are ramping up in South Africa

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The current U.S. data is where I found the college campus expansion numbers.

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Here is more about the recent growth on college campuses via INSIDE Higher Ed –

In January 2011, Walmart opened its first location on a university campus at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, a half-hour drive from its corporate headquarters. Now, Walmart has announced that it will be opening a second campus location, at Arizona State University, with luck by May, according to Delia Garcia, a Walmart spokeswoman. A third location, at Georgia Tech, is slated to open at a to-be-determined time next year. “Walmart on campus is an opportunity to bring low prices to students, reach new customers and serve our on-campus customers in a convenient way,” Garcia said in an interview.

by Hoosier Econ

Man That Proved Consumers Are Naive Dies

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Via People.com –

Gary Dahl, the man who became a millionaire by selling ordinary rocks, died on March 23 at the age of 78.

Dahl, an advertising copywriter, thought up the Pet Rock in 1975, after listening to friends complain about having to care for actual pets. The Pet Rock became an unlikely fad through Christmas that year. They sold for $4 each, and Dahl became a millionaire by the time the product was discontinued in February 1976.

by Hoosier Econ

2015 Medicaid Spending Up 21%

The numbers are staggering in how fast medicaid is growing and spending. This isn’t a sexy topic to talk about but that is the psychosis of America’s political landscape today. Here is some recent news pertaining to this federal government social program.

Via Wall Street Journal –

    Medicaid enrollment has surged 19% nationally since ObamaCare’s expansion—50% in New Mexico, 65% in Oregon, 81% in Kentucky. The Congressional Budget Office reports that Medicaid spending rose 21% in the first five months of fiscal year 2015, “largely because of” ObamaCare.

Another source, The Heritage Foundation added more data to the topic of medicaid growth –

    This jump does not even include the Obamacare insurance exchange subsidies that are now in place—a $7 billion increase so far this year. Medicaid and the Obamacare subsidies account for $28 billion of the $88 billion in mandatory spending increases this year. The extent to which growth of Obamacare and other entitlements is responsible for this increase is even more pronounced than at first glance. Leaving GSEs out of the equation, increases in Medicaid and Obamacare subsidies accounted for half of the mandatory spending increase so far this year. Meanwhile, defense spending is down nearly 5 percent.

One more item from Heritage is the overall growth of entitlement spending.

    Chart 12 shows the growth of more than 80 welfare programs since 2007—including food stamps, unemployment insurance, housing aid, Medicaid, and disability payments. Some of these increases were results of the recession, while others were due to Obama policies that expanded eligibility and cancelled work requirements. Since 2008, spending has soared 37.2 percent in these programs. Since 2007, spending has mushroomed nearly 55 percent

entitlement spending

by Hoosier Econ

Pictures of Food Stamps Being Celebrated

Lauren Cooley over at TurningPointUSA.net found a celebration on social media of people using food stamps i.e. EBT cards. Take a look at the story here. I’m only posting 4 photos but she posted a lot more for the public to see.
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by Hoosier Econ

Music Industry Recording Revenue 1974 – 2009

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Forgot I had this in my records for a post. I have no idea where I got it from so I apologize for not being able to give anyone their proper credit. The numbers are fascinating.

by Hoosier Econ

Inflation Alert: College Textbooks

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Recent data compiled is showing college textbooks are rising at a double digit rate. The National Association of College Stores has price comparisons on new textbooks college students buy.

    Average Price of New Books
    2007: $56
    2015: $72
    Price increase of 22%

Here are some other stats concerning college students and textbooks

    Average student spending for a semester of course materials
    $509

    Average college bookstore profit margin for a new book
    21.1%

    Percent of students who buy their books at their college bookstore
    47%

    Percent of students who say they have skipped buying a textbook because it was too expensive
    65%

H/T StatisticBrain.com

by Hoosier Econ

Angie’s List Inc. is Perfect Example of Crony Capitalists

Angie’s List Inc.recently announced they put their Indianapolis project on hold due to the new RFRA law signed by Indiana Governor Mike Pence. This company has been bleeding money for quite some time and just went to the state begging for $18.5 million in public assistance. Here is snapshot I took this morning of how bad the stock has dropped in one year:
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Overall Angie’s List announcement on this matter is more desperation than practical. Crony capitalist companies like Angie’s List use tactics like this to hedge their bets in order to get more money out lawmakers then standing up for some social issue.

by Hoosier Econ

Inflation Alert: Beef Prices Hit Record High

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Via CNSNEWS.COM –

The average price of a pound of ground beef climbed to another record high in February, hitting $4.238 per pound, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

In August 2014, the average price for a pound of all types of ground beef topped $4 for the first time, hitting $4.013, according to the BLS.

In September, the average price jumped to $4.096 per pound; in October, the average price climbed to $4.154 per pound; and in November, the average price climbed to $4.201 per pound.

In December, the price declined slightly to $4.156 per pound. In January 2015, ground beef hit $4.235 per pound and in February 2015, according to the latest data from the BLS, the price of ground beef hit the highest level ever recorded of $4.238.

A year ago, in February 2014, the average price for a pound of ground beef was $3.555 per pound. Since then, the average price has increased 19.2 percent in one year.

Five years ago, in February 2010, the average price of a pound of ground beef was $2.277, according to the BLS. The price has since climbed by $1.961 per pound, or an increase of 86.1 percent.

Read the rest here.