Economics

3rd Quarter. You may have thought this was a football-related column!  No, I’m not “tackling” another sports theme. The “third quarter” refers not to the third quarter of a game, but rather, it has to do with the third quarter of the calendar year, which will end next Wednesday.  The “score” that I refer to is the U.S. economy, and how it fared in the third quarter of the year (July through September). (Stay until the column’s conclusion and get your sports fix!)  So, in today’s column, I will look

America is not the only semi-quincentennial in 2026. Economics is turning 250 too. Adam Smith wrote the “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” in 1776 and became the father of modern-day economics. He may be turning in his Edinburgh grave, viewing the world today. Smith’s book was largely a defense of free international trade and attacked the prevailing mercantilist system, which aimed to export goods and import gold and silver. Because countries have different advantages in terms of natural resources or acquired skills, a

Publisher’s Note: The bottom line financially in the coming months is that Augusta-area companies and families will pay more to borrow money. It’s an effort by“The Fed” to slow the tide of inflation. Last week, Dr. Franza wrote about the implications of the national debt. Today, he looks into a few key financial meetings that will help determine all our budgets in the CSRA. Although I am not an economist by education or training, as a higher education business educator in Augusta, I have learned that as businesspeople, consumers, and