More Nashvillians Cut Spending on Groceries

From the Tennessean (June 15, 2008): "'We're just continuing to find out how well we can take a punch,' said David Penn, an economics professor at Middle Tennessee State University. 'We've already been battered by higher food and fuel prices, and the news seems to be getting worse.' Penn predicts food prices will continue to rise gradually because of increasing world demand for food from countries such as India and China."

House Votes Down Extension of Unemployment Benefits

From the Tennessean (June 12, 2008): "[Congress's] failure to extend [unemployment] benefits might be short-sighted . . . , said David Penn, an economist with Middle Tennessee State University. . . . I think we're going to see more jobs lost this quarter and the next quarter before the economy shows any signs of improvement. . . . it's interesting that Congress would provide economic-stimulus payments on one hand, but deny an extension of unemployment benefits on the other."

Jones College 2007-2008 Annual Report

The 2007-2008 Annual Report for the Jones College of Business is now online. (http://mtsu.edu/~berc/annualreport.html)

Database Update

Databases for building permits, employment by county, historical unemployment rates, and initial unemployment claims have been updated (Business and Economic Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University).

April Economic Indicators

April Economic Indicators for the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro MSA

Support BERC Research

The website of the Business and Economic Research Center at MTSU now has a link for making online donations to help support its research work (http://mtsu.edu/~berc/donation.html). Thank you!

BERC Publications

Due to recent budget cuts, the BERC will no longer be printing its publications but only posting them online. (BERC Publications)