Economic waters are rising in Illinois

Posted on May 8, 2021
University of Illinois professor Fred Giertz says his figures show Illinois is in positive territory for the first time since before the pandemic began.(WJBC file photo)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The arrow’s pointing up for Illinois’ economy. University of Illinois professor Fred Giertz says his figures show Illinois is in positive territory for the first time since before the pandemic began.

His Flash index is a weighted average of corporate earnings, personal income, and consumer spending. On a scale on which 100 is the break-even point between growth and shrinkage, the index moved from 97.8 to 101.5 in a month.

Giertz says with the stimulus checks and other relief programs out there, it could be difficult to predict how healthy the economy really is until the government programs expire.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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