Articles

Long term energy prices important for New Mexico’s future Calculation is uncertain

The price of energy is an important variable underlying the New Mexico economy as New Mexico is an oil and gas exporting state. The recent drop in energy prices, for example, is an important contributor to the recession that started in New Mexico last November. So, determining the long run price of oil and gas is an important issue in business planning in New Mexico.
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Who Said the Ranges were Over Stocked?

One of the most enduring legends of the America west concerns the open-range cattle industry of the nineteenth century. Tales of cattlemen who, caught in a speculative bubble, routinely overstocked the western ranges, are common and repeated as established fact. At its heart, these cautionary tales of greed and speculation depict a classic tragedy of the commons, which in this case caused permanent ecological damage as cattlemen pursued private profits. The culminating event of the era was a massive die-off of cattle after the summer drought and winter storm of 1886/87. However, the standard historical narrative suffers from several important omissions.
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Talking Points

Las Cruces job growth moved into the negative, the traditional indicator of recession. But the really bad news is not recession; instead, it is cancellation of the relocation of two battalions, one at WSMR and one at Bliss. The state also remains in recession. Overall, this month was one of the worse months for the local economy in a long time.
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