Economics

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is part one of a two-part series. RICK: If nothing else, I am very consistent. In January, I provided you with my economic and business predictions for the coming year, as I have done in this space for each of the past few years. Another regular occurrence has been that midway through the year, I assess how accurate my predictions have been to this point in the year and how they might do for the remainder of the year. So, as the third quarter of 2026 begins,

I have followed the recent negotiations between the United States and Iran with much interest. As I noted in last week’s column, how these negotiations progress can significantly impact our economy and national security. I am watching closely to see how these negotiations impact Iran’s future nuclear weapon capability. However, as always, I watch situations like these for lessons learned we can apply to our business environments.   In this case, the most interesting and potentially valuable lesson we can learn from these negotiations is how President Trump and his proxies,

There is a famous saying about financial markets this time of year, which is “Sell in May and go away.” This old Wall Street adage advised investors to sell their stocks in the spring and stay out of the market during the summer months to avoid historically weaker performance.   However, while historical data has often shown that markets tend to hold true to this adage, with the rest of the year outperforming Summer, financial experts generally advise not to act on this rhyme. The reasons for this include that trying

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s recent examination of the state’s energy supply included a panel discussion on a topic garnering great interest in the Augusta area. The 2026 State of Energy focused on energy and infrastructure, one of the five pillars in the Georgia 2050 strategic plan. In his opening remarks, chamber president and CEO Chris Clark announced the organization will launch two new initiatives focusing specifically on data centers. One will be the “Data Center-Ready” designation. The purpose is to help elected officials and communities make informed decisions about