New Jersey 101.5 wants to know "Summer is fading fast: Will NJ consumers keep spending?" Inflation and interest rates continue to rise and there is concern that NJ will head into a recession if the spending doesn't keep pace. But Hughes suggests, "The labor market...
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James W. Hughes
New Jersey Residents are Wondering: Should you Buy or Sell?
Dean Emeritus James W. Hughes breaks down the good and bad of the current economic conditions in the Garden State in this New Jersey 101.5 interview. “It’s still a cauldron of uncertainty, the indicators are not aligned with one another, in looking forward our crystal...
Watch Interview with Dean Emeritus James Hughes on the July Federal Jobs Report
NJ Spotlight News’ Rhonda Schaffler interviews Dean Emeritus James Hughes about the surprising federal jobs report for July 2022
Ocean county no longer among the oldest in NJ
New affordable housing in Ocean county is attracting a younger crowd. More retirees are electing to stay in their homes rather than move to the 55+ communities that drove up the median age in the southern part of the state. Dean Emeritus James W. Hughes discusses the...
How strong is the US economy? Depends on which party you ask
The jobless rate is at a record low of 3.6%, but consumer prices are up 9.1% as of June 2022. Are we officially in a recession? That depends on who you ask. “It suggests, overall, the economy is weakening, it’s certainly losing steam, where there are storm clouds not...
N.J. is increasing diversity.
New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation, and year after year it has only gotten more so. “The suburbs are far more diverse today than they were 25 years ago,” said James Hughes, a professor and a former dean of Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of...
Hughes Speaks to the State of the U.S. Economy, Influence on Voters’ Sentiments
Economic sentiment plays a pivotal role in how Americans make their electoral choices and is one of many factors that could influence how voters cast their ballots in the 2022 midterm elections. On July 15, the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Press Center hosted a...
Is the economic outlook for New Jersey as bad as we think?
What’s in store for the New Jersey economy for the rest of this year? It turns out nobody is quite sure because right now there’s a hodgepodge of different economic signals. Rutgers University economist James Hughes said as is often the case, “we have really...
Economists question lawmakers’ plans to address inflation
As consumers nationwide grapple with increases in the cost of rent, gas, and groceries, New Jersey lawmakers have offered a slew of plans they say will address skyrocketing inflation. Sales tax holidays on certain items, moratoriums on toll increases, and a revamp of...
Consumers in ‘very sour mood’ as inflation outpaces wages
The prices of gas, home energy and food all spiked by double digits over the past month, but wages aren't keeping up, with annual inflation now topping 9%. "It’s leading to a very sour mood,” said James W. Hughes, dean emeritus at Rutgers University’s Edward J....