Sorting Out Seattle’s Arena Situtation

It has been 9 years since Seattle has had a professional men’s basketball team (Seattle Sonics) and 42 years since the city possessed an NHL franchise (Seattle Totems). The fan base in Seattle has been desperate for either sport, specifically basketball, to be part of the city once again. For any team to come to Seattle, an arena has to be built (or renovated). Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL stated back in 2015 the issue for Seattle as a city. “No one has their arena act together yet in Seattle.” It’s quite true that no conclusion has been made on what arena project to Continue reading Sorting Out Seattle’s Arena Situtation

Monetary Valuation

Economic value is a measurement of benefit produced by a good or service. Usually, this benefit is measured in a common currency in order to make these goods and services comparable. The theory of value is used in everyday situations without much consideration. For example when considering my preferences and constraints at the moment, I would be willing to spend $10 for a good sandwich right now. Regardless of what the actual selling price of a sandwich is, I have my own personal value for the good. When talking lunch items, I have no problem valuing these items in terms Continue reading Monetary Valuation

College Tours: Fixed Supply and Variable Demand

It is finally spring, which is the busiest season in the Office of Admission here at the University of Puget Sound. As a campus host (tour guide), I look forward to meeting all the new prospective students, because it’s a good mix of juniors beginning to look at college, and seniors who have been accepted and are trying to make their decisions. The influx of people does two things: it increases the average tour size, and makes each guide more productive; because they are giving the same number of tours in the same amount of time, but with more people receiving Continue reading College Tours: Fixed Supply and Variable Demand

Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Overload

The Federal Reserve Bank has been incredibly active recently. Due to a rising stability of growth in the economy, the FED has begun to make changes. The first change that economists cannot stop talking about is the increase in the federal funds rate by a quarter of a percent. The second change is creating a plan to decrease the rather large balance sheet the FED currently holds. Although increasing the federal funds rate is simple, deciding on how to decrease the balance sheet is much more difficult. However, with confidence in the economy, members of the FED are beginning to Continue reading Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Overload

Can Amazon Meet Investors’ Massive Expectations?

There is no doubt that Amazon is a massive company, with sales accounting for more than half of every new dollar spent online in America. According to The Economist, many shareholders believe that this is just the beginning for Amazon’s dominance, as the firm’s share price has increased by 173% since early 2015, and Amazon holds a market capitalization of approximately $400 billion, making it the fifth most valuable firm in the world. The Economist also notes that despite these incredible numbers, 92% of Amazon’s value comes from profits that are expected to be made after 2020, indicating that investors Continue reading Can Amazon Meet Investors’ Massive Expectations?

A Sweet and Sugary Debate

Philadelphia became the first major city to take a stance against “sugar-sweetened and diet beverages” with a 1.5 cents per ounce tax on distributors. The tax was passed by the city council in June and has been in full swing since January. Some news sources are quick to point out the success of the tax as it has “generated $5.9 million in January, more than double its prediction of $2.3 million.” An important platform of the tax campaign was that the revenue from the tax would help fund schools, community programs and facilities in Philadelphia. But the primary purpose for Continue reading A Sweet and Sugary Debate

March Madness Probabilities

Every year during the NCAA Basketball National Championship, or March Madness, fans make bracket predictions and often make bets on them. Warren Buffet, the billionaire investor of Berkshire Hathaway, once offered one billion dollars for anyone who could predict a perfect bracket. But what exactly are the odds of predicting a perfect bracket? Buffet actually made one of the safest bets he could. First, let’s assume that each team has a 50% chance of winning any given game. The probability is calculated by simply taking the number of outcomes from a game, one team could win or the other team Continue reading March Madness Probabilities

Art Supplies Demand on the Rise?

When looking at a snapshot of the market for art supplies, you’ll find that in January the demand for art supplies when way up. Through the week of Jan. 15, poster and foam board sales went up by 33 and 42 percent, respectively. The sales led to a revenue of $4.1m for these presentation boards. Glue was up 27 percent. Permanent markers saw a 12 percent rise. Why would this be happening? More science fairs? Teachers only grading on physical presentations? A more realistic and impressive reason is behind the surge says Leen Nsouli of NPD (a firm analyzing the Continue reading Art Supplies Demand on the Rise?

Paper Money

Why do people still use paper money? It’s easily lost, stolen, or destroyed, it’s a huge transmitter of disease, and it wears quickly and is a pain to replace. My mother always told me to hide a bit of cash away for emergencies. Although she means well, I feel like a bad cartoon pirate that still relies on my chest of gold every time I hoard pieces of paper. Besides, every time I “hide” money away, I end up handing it over the lady behind the counter at Memos within a week. In almost every way, electronic banking is superior Continue reading Paper Money

Bad Jokes: Is the Market in Equilibrium?

When I came to the University of Puget Sound, I intended to be a chemistry major. After my first year in chemistry, I decided it wasn’t really what I wanted to do after college. As I scrambled to find out what else I would do with my life, I reflected back on the things I would miss about the department. I knew I would miss the satisfaction of completing an onerous stoichiometry problem, the professors in the department, and of course, the “bad” jokes and puns. Such as: H2O is water and H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide. What is H2O4?   Continue reading Bad Jokes: Is the Market in Equilibrium?