To make a Monday morning more exciting ..
Let's talk about the economy.
We recently got the Triad Business Index for May, a study of economic indicators compiled by Don Jud over at UNCG. The news isn't stellar - but it's not all that depressing, either.
Here's a rundown for the Piedmont Triad, in general, and then for Guilford County, more specifically. Look after the jump for the scintillating story ...
* Economic activity in the Triad was up slightly for May. But it's still down year-over-year - by about 2.3 percent.
* The seasonally adjusted rate of unemployment in the region was static from April to May - at 4.6 percent. That compares to the national rate, which was down by 0.1 percentage points from one month to another.
* Unemployment insurance claims - initial ones - continued a downward trend in May.
* Total employment was down slightly in the Triad and up slightly for the nation as a whole. Goods-producing employment here also was down.
* Service job growth in the region continues to be most rapid in educational and medical services, while information services, transportation, professional, business services, wholesale trade and government jobs are down.
* Residential building permits were off 2.2 percent in May - continuing a downward trend of the past year. Construction employment in the Triad stayed static.
* Prices for existing homes during the past year are up: 1.4 percent in Burlington, 4.1 percent in Greensboro/High point and 5.2 percent in Winston. National housing prices gained an average of 12.5 percent, the index reports from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac data. Prices of existing homes in the state rose 8.3 percent during the past year, and Wilmington continues to be the hottest growth market.
Now for Guilford County:
* Economic activity in the county was slightly up for May, but it still hasn't escaped the overall decline of the past year. The county appears to be in better economic shape than the region, though.
* Unemployment here remained static. The May rate - 4.6 percent - was the same rate we saw for April. Unemployment was down in the county year-over-year.
* Employment here saw little change from April and, though it has grown during the past 12 months, it's still sluggish compared to national employment growth - which peaked in October of last year and has declined since then.
* Initial claims for unemployment fell 9.2 percent in May.
* Residential building permits have gained 8.2 percent during the past 12 months in the county. Housing prices here went down about 8 percent during the first quarter of this year, but they're up 5.4 percent over the past year, the index reports.
To see the complete report, visit Jud's Web site and click on the index PDF link.