Author: Tatiana Bailey
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Economic implications of Mideast conflict | Tatiana Bailey
Any time there is a new geopolitical conflict, like the one we are now seeing in the Middle East, the greatest concern is the risk is to human lives. A secondary, but important concern, is impact to the economy. The largest economic impacts probably will be to inflation. Consumers are painfully aware that, in the…
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Tatiana Bailey: Weighing U.S. economy’s comparative strengths
The national and regional economic environments reflect a complex combination of moderating growth, labor market deceleration, and early signs of shifting consumer and business conditions mostly tied to high price levels and general economic uncertainty. We all know this, but I have to admit I’ve struggled lately in presentations, articles and social settings (with libations!)…
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Tatiana Bailey: The Have-Yachts and the Have-Nots
As an economist, I strongly believe in the power of capitalism as it has a built-in incentive system that rewards hard work, innovation and prosperity. All economic systems have flaws, but it’s hard to argue with the business creation and virtuous economic cycle that capitalism can create. Part of that strength is that high performers…
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Low housing affordability raises homelessness risk
Last week, I talked about our region’s Housing Needs Assessment. Our nonprofit, Data-Driven Economic Strategies, assisted in this work but we led an in-depth portion of the analysis examining the impacts of reduced housing affordability on homelessness within El Paso County. The first portion of our analysis looked at the 2024 Point in Time (PIT)…
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Decades of underbuilding set stage for housing crisis | Tatiana Bailey
Recently, a local Housing Needs Assessment was conducted to meet the requirements of a Colorado Senate bill and to provide leaders, planners and residents with a clear, data-based picture of housing supply and demand, as well as housing gaps. The study analyzed trends in population, the economy, household income and housing market conditions. Community and…
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Economic outlook: stability, minus renewed optimism
Recent data continues to point to an economy that is expanding but vulnerable to shifts in confidence and labor market conditions. The third-quarter 2025 GDP release was revised up in January to show real GDP growth rate of 4.4% (previously at 4.3%), with the year-over-year rate holding at 2.3%. As I have consistently noted, I…
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The Acute Need for Elder Care
I’ve talked a lot about the high costs of child care, the shortage of child care workers and the negative impacts on U.S. labor participation. Now, I’d like to shift my focus on the realities we all face in terms of aging and caregiving for elderly family members.We’ve all heard of the “Silver Tsunami,” but…
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Tatiana Bailey: Lower utility rates a tangible economic development opportunity
The Front Range has long been the epicenter of Colorado’s economic success story, driving the state’s growth in population, jobs, and investment. Like most states, however, Colorado has struggled to spread that prosperity evenly, raising a critical question: How can all regions share in economic growth? Colorado remains a high-growth state, but employment momentum is…
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Looking back to 2025 and what’s ahead for the economy
A joke I’ve heard many a time throughout the years is that economists are as good as weathermen in terms of forecasting. Fair, but somehow that never detracted me from loving my discipline and trying to put the pieces of the grand puzzle together. There are indeed too many variables relative to the constants to…
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Tatiana Bailey: Is the labor market softening?
Major economic data points are now trickling in and one of the most important relates to the jobs market. The recent employment report showed modest job growth in November of 64,000 jobs, which is significantly lower than the pre-pandemic historical monthly payroll increase of 190,000 jobs. October’s data was stark showing a substantial payrolls decline…