Center for Business and Economic Research, The University of Alabama

Second Quarter 2015 Alabama Business Optimism Remains at Highest Level since Mid-2006

The Alabama Business Confidence Index™ (ABCI) came in at an optimistic 57.6 on the second quarter 2015 survey. That’s 0.2 points higher than last quarter and 2.0 points above the ABCI of 55.6 recorded a year ago. Most component indexes increased this quarter. Among statewide indicators, the strongest gains in expectations were ...more

Business Executives Rank Education and Workforce Training the Top Issue Facing Alabama

The Alabama Business Confidence Index™ (ABCI) panelists voiced their opinions about the top issues facing the state and their companies in a survey conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) in November 2014. Business executives reported that education and workforce training was the top issue facing the state ...more

Alabama Economics Club - "2015 National, State, and Local Economic Outlook"

Downlaod the PowerPoint presentation of Mr. Ahamd Ijaz here.

First Quarter 2015 Alabama Business Optimism at Highest Level since Mid-2006

The Alabama Business Confidence Index™ (ABCI) came in at an optimistic 57.4 on the first quarter 2015 survey. That’s 3.2 points higher than last quarter and 6.2 points above the ABCI of 51.2 recorded a year ago. All component indexes increased this quarter, with the strongest gains in expectations for ...more

2015 Alabama Economic Forecast Released at 27th Annual CBER Conference

Alabama is expected to see stronger growth in both economic output (GDP) and employment during 2015, according to the forecast from UA’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER). Dr. Sam Addy, CBER Director and Associate Dean for Research and Outreach in the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Ahmad Ijaz, Associate Director and Director of Economic Forecasting, presented an encouraging outlook for the state in 2015 at CBER’s 27th annual Economic Outlook Conference. Around 150 attended the meeting, held January 15th in Montgomery ...more

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Alabama Job Growth Picking Up, Economic Forecast from UA’s CBER Improves

Recent numbers indicate that Alabama job growth may finally be picking up from the slow pace seen since the last recession. The state added 31,600 jobs between September 2013 and September 2014. That’s one of the highest rates of job growth during a 12-month period since the U.S. economy fell into ...more

The University of Alabama 2012-2013 Economic Impacts

Economic and fiscal impacts of The University of Alabama (UA) on the State of Alabama for the 2012-2013 academic year, were $2.344 billion, 11,900 jobs, and $106.6 million in income and sales taxes ($32.7 million state sales tax, $33.1 million state income tax, and $40.8 million local sales tax). The $2.3 billion impact means that UA created a $16.66 impact for every $1 of state appropriation. Home football games had a statewide impact of $177.9 million, an average of $25.4 million per game.

Alabama will realize a 16.7 percent annual rate of return on the $140.7 million state appropriation because over their careers UA’s 2012-2013 graduating class will pay $1.2 billion more income and sales taxes ...more

CBER Analysis Validates Predictive Significance of ABCI

Each quarter business executives across Alabama take the online Alabama Business Confidence Index™ (ABCI) survey, a project of the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) in UA's Culverhouse College of Commerce. The recent Q4 2013 survey marked 48 consecutive quarters of ABCI results. Using these survey results, CBER has completed a Validation Analysis comparing statewide trends in the ABCI and ...more

UA Economist Provides Cost-Benefit Analysis of New Alabama Immigration Law

In a new study, Dr. Samuel Addy, Director of UA's Center for Business and Economic Research, utilizes cost-benefit analysis to assess the economic impacts of HB 56, the Alabama immigration law ...more

Report takes broad look at Alabama economy and related topics

A study completed by CBER in 2011 for the Alabama Association of Regional Councils (AARC) assesses the status of the state’s economy, people, resources, and environment in global, national, and regional contexts. The 53-page report, Alabama in the Global Economy, considers the question of “Where do we go from here?” and offers policy recommendations for sustainable development. It is part of the AARC’s recent update of Alabama’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). You can visit the Alabama CEDS website at ceds.alabama.gov/ for reports, data, and maps or access the Alabama in the Global Economy report directly here.

Preliminary Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes in Alabama

Preliminary macroeconomic impact estimates of the April 27, 2011 tornadoes that hit Alabama are reductions of (i) 0.2-0.5 percent in employment or 5,600-13,200 jobs, (ii) 0.2-0.5 percent in state tax collections or $19.1-44.5 million, (iii) 0.5-0.7 percent in Alabama Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or $835 million to $1.3 billion, and (iv) $4.4-10.2 million in local sales tax collections. These loss effects are expected to be experienced in 2011 only ...more

BP Oil Spill Preliminary Macroeconomic Impacts on Alabama

The Center for Business and Economic Research has released preliminary macroeconomic impact estimates of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Alabama for 2010 ...more

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Center for Business and Economic Research, Box 870221, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0221
Phone: 205.348.6191, Fax: 205.348.2951, Email: uacber@cba.ua.edu