U.S. Gulf Coast Now a Net Exporter of Crude

In the last two months of 2018, the U.S. Gulf Coast exported more crude oil than it imported. U.S. crude oil production, particularly in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, has increased in recent years. In November 2018, U.S. Gulf Coast crude oil production set a new record of 7.7 million b/d. The increased ...

Readmore

Nuclear Industry Lobbying for Fewer Inspections

“The nuclear power industry is pushing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to cut back on inspections at nuclear power plants,” The Associated Press reports .

“Commission staffers are weighing some of the industry's requests as part of a sweeping review of how the agency enforces regulat...

Readmore

Factory Orders Barely Rise in January

New orders for manufactured goods in January, up two consecutive months, increased $0.3 billion or 0.1% to $500.5 billion, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports. This followed a 0.1% December increase. Shipments, down four consecutive months, decreased $1.8 billion or 0.4% to $503.1 billion. This ...

Readmore

Small Business Optimism Stabilizes in February

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index improved modestly, increasing 0.5 points to 101.7, even with the potential negative impact of the government shutdown on government workers but also on government contractors who laid off workers as well. Two Index components fell, three were unchanged, and fiv...

Readmore