ANN ARBOR – Crude oil prices nearing $100 per barrel are pushing up gas prices, grocery costs, and household expenses across Michigan and the United States. While most consumers notice the impact first at the gas pump, economists say the real effect of higher oil prices spreads far beyond gasoline. From groceries to airline tickets
GRAND RAPIDS - Michigan’s economy entered 2026 much like it exited 2025: cautious, uneven and still searching for momentum. A new survey of West Michigan purchasing managers from Grand Valley State University shows the region’s economy slowed for the third consecutive month, underscoring broader challenges facing the state’s manufacturing-heavy base. But while parts of Michigan
ANN ARBOR - The accelerating cost of climate change is no longer confined to distant coastal disasters or global economic forecasts. It is increasingly showing up in everyday household and business expenses — especially through higher insurance premiums, shrinking coverage options, and rising housing and operating costs. While states like Florida and California are already
ALLENDALE — As 2025 draws to a close, West Michigan’s economy is losing momentum, mirroring broader economic headwinds facing Michigan and much of the United States, according to new data from Grand Valley State University. Brian Long, director of supply chain management research at Grand Valley’s Seidman College of Business, said his latest monthly survey
ANN ARBOR - Gauging the health of Michigan’s economy was difficult even before the federal government shutdown interfered with key data releases. The two key measures of employment, from the payroll and household surveys, have generally trended in opposite directions this year. Preliminary data suggests a large downward revision is in store for Michigan’s payroll
LANSING - Michigan's insulation from the worst impacts of a trade war and federal budget cuts compared with other states, along with its small business survival rate, helped the state to climb to the sixth spot in an annual ranking of the top states for business. Overall, Michigan's economy is what led to the higher spot
DETROIT— Business leaders voiced optimism about Michigan's economy in early 2025, but less confident beyond July. The results of the annual survey from the Ann Arbor-based Baker Strategy Group were presented Tuesday during a Detroit Economic Club meeting. Although sentiment for the next six months moved upward slightly from last year, longer looks at a
GRAND RAPIDS - The West Michigan economy concluded 2024 on a marginally positive note, a trend expected to continue into 2025, according to data collected by a Grand Valley State University researcher. Brian Long, director of supply management research at GVSU’s Seidman College of Business, said his data for most of 2024 reflected a slight
ANN ARBOR - Detroit’s payroll jobs and the number of employed residents are expected to continue to climb during the next few years along with sustained real wage growth, according to University of Michigan economists. Still, positive trends are tempered by challenges that include more than three-fifths of Detroiters living in lower-income households—more than twice
LANSING – At first glance, not much has changed in the latest monthly poll of the nation’s small business owners published by their leading advocacy association, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Inflation remains the top concern, but one component, the Uncertainty Index, rose an alarming nine points to 85, the highest reading since November
