Hawaii economy 
Hawaii economy news
There are currently 13 blog entries related to this category.
Census - Hawaii median income is 7th in America!
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 at 1:44pm. 1815 Views, 1 Comments.
I went through some of the Census data and tried to glean anything interesting for real estate purposes.
Here are some highlights:
148,764 more people live in Hawaii today compared to 10 years ago. Our State population now totals 1,360,301, up 12.3 percent from the 1,211,537 people who lived here 10 years ago. It's hard to even imagine where these people live, considering there haven't been very many new homes built since then. No wonder there is a housing shortage!
As the population increases, the Island gets more expensive. I've talked about this over and over, but the Census really drives that home. If there really are 12.3 percent more people over just a 10 year period, we are going to run out of room very quickly. More likely, they…
Book: Dying of Money: Lessons of the Great German and American Inflations
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 at 2:47pm. 2198 Views, 0 Comments.
I'm currently reading "Dying of Money: Lessons of the Great German and American Inflations." It's a very insightful and fact filled book which is part history and part economics lessons. Readers will learn mucuh about Keynesian economics, which in part caused the downfall of Germany's paper money and the massive hyper-inflation that resulted. 
In short, Keynsian economics says the governments should intervene in recessions by printing money and lowering interest rates, in order to stimulate the economy. Sound familiar? Bernanke and Obama are strict Keynsian economists.
In the 1920's, "When the debacle was finally stopped, the old (German) mark, which had once been worth a solid 23 cents, was written off at one trillion old marks to one new one…
Southwest may fly to Oahu - This is HUGE!
Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 3:37pm. 859 Views, 1 Comments.
Via Advertiser: News yesterday that Southwest Airlines might begin flights to Hawaii!
CEO Gary Kelly said the company will make a decision before the end of the year on whether to add larger Boeing 737-800 airplanes to its fleet, which would "bring us the opportunity to consider a destination like Hawaii." Kelly said the earliest Southwest could take delivery of the 737-800s would be 2012.
State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert: "With their network of flights, especially in the Midwest, it opens up a whole new market that has been virtually untapped for some time," she said.
"Keith Vieira, senior vice president for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii, echoed the sentiment. "This opportunity with Southwest will enable us to better reach their…
Mortage rates are stupid low! In Oct 2000, rates were 8%
Monday, October 25th, 2010 at 5:12pm. 501 Views, 0 Comments.
The interest rate on my first home loan was 9.875%. In my early 20's I bought my first condo and was happy that my loan was not over 10%, since I had no credit and little job history.
To put it in perspective, if you borrowed $500,000 at 9.875% on a 30yr loan, your payment would be $4341/month. At today's 4.5% rate, the payment is $2533/month. That's a difference of $1808.
Now home prices are about double what they were 10 years ago, but the cost to own a house is only 31% higher, not 100% higher, due to the lower interest rates.
Average 30 yr mortgage rate (Reproduced with permission Mortgage-X.com)
Today = 4.25%
Oct 2000 = 7.875%.
Oct 1990 = 10.25%.
Oct 1984 = 13.5% !!!
Let's see how that…
Kona Comfort Coffee is 100% Kona, 100% awesome
Saturday, October 16th, 2010 at 4:18am. 434 Views, 0 Comments.
Kona Coffee is one of my favorite truly locally grown Hawaiian products. The good folks at Kona Comfort coffee help me get out of bed in the morning with their freshly roasted Kona beans, and I thought I might just give a little help to a company I really believe has a great product - way better than anything you can buy from a big nationwide brand.
Kona coffee is grown on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is, in fact, the only place that coffee grows in all of America as it is the only land we have that falls in the coffee belt. The incredibly rich volcanic soil combined with Hawaii's sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons creates just about the best environment this world has…
$75 million for Hawaii Schools
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 at 1:15pm. 545 Views, 0 Comments.
Via Star : Hawaii will get $75 million from the President Obama's "Race to the Top" school reform grant competition.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Hawaii made big improvements in its Race to the Top application from round one and has shown its commitment to education by ending teacher furloughs.
"Despite the furlough days, Hawaii has a real chance to take student achievement to a different level," he said. "Hawaii absolutely put its best foot forward."
In a statement, Hawaii schools superintendent said, "Race to the Top has served as a rallying call to boldly transform public education and schools across our nation. Today, the federal government invested $75 million in Hawaii over the next four years and secured its investment with the unwavering…
Honolulu - Top 10 most recession proof cities in America!
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 4:10pm. 635 Views, 0 Comments.
The MetroMonitor report examined indicators through the first quarter of 2010 in the areas of employment, unemployment, output, home prices, and foreclosure rates for the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas.
It finds that: The metropolitan areas that have had the most consistent job growth over the past year are Augusta, Austin, Charleston, Chattanooga, Dallas, Honolulu, Jackson, and Raleigh.
Thirty-two metropolitan areas had recovered their pre-recession levels of output in the fourth quarter, including Honolulu, which had continuous output growth since at least the second quarter of 2009. Most of these metropolitan areas are state capitals or other government or military centers.
Housing markets remained weak, with house prices lower in the…
Hawaii Personal income on the rise
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 6:40pm. 620 Views, 0 Comments.
Personal income in Hawaii grew at the sixth-fastest rate in the nation through the first quarter of this year, according to an article this morning in the Star.
Hawaii residents' personal income rose by 1.35 percent compared with the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the report released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
GAINING STRENGTHStates with biggest increases in personal income in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the fourth quarter of 2009.1. Mississippi 1.6% |
No more Furlough Fridays!
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 11:26am. 818 Views, 0 Comments.
Via Star Bulletin: After a school year cut short by 17 Furlough Fridays, public school head into next year with a complete academic calendar again. "The furloughs are over," Governor Linda Lingle declared yesterday at a news conference.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Department of Education and Board of Education reached a supplemental agreement in March to a contract that restored all furlough days. It was contingent on the Legislature approving the funds and Lingle releasing the money.
Lawmakers set aside $67 million from the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to fund the agreement. Additionally, $2.2 million in federal stimulus funds is being allotted to cover charter…
New Hawaii 5-0 filming in Hawaii just as LOST series ends.
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 2:11pm. 8050 Views, 1 Comments.
Hawaii's economy will continue to benefit from TV filming, as CBS is remaking the original “Hawaii Five-O” TV series, according to several reports by Hollywood trade publications Monday. Just like the classic cop drama that ran from 1968 to 1980, the new one will be filmed entirely in Hawaii.
It stars Australian actor Alex O’Loughlin as detective Steve McGarrett and “Lost” alumnus Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly. The cast also includes Scott Caan from “Oceans Eleven” as detective Danny Williams, “Battlestar Galactica” alum Grace Park as Kona Kalakaua, and actress Jean Smart of “24” and “Samantha Who” as Gov. Pat Jameson.
CBS announced officially its big prime-time line up for the coming season, which includes…
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