...Population growth during 2011 was at its slowest pace since 2003, likely reflecting the lack of job growth," wrote Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo, in the bank's economic outlook for Georgia. "The federal government is a major...

...question the accuracy of the labor statistics, Augusta experienced a loss of jobs over the past year, about 3,500. Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo, said the way contractor changes at Fort Gordon are counted in state statistics...

...fiscal cliff" ? a slate of spending cuts and tax increases set to take effect Jan. 1 ? Wells Fargo Senior Economist Mark Vitner warned Monday the economy might also crash into a wall.The shadow of the cuts, which the Congressional Budget Office...

...of 25.3 in February 2009."We're trying to break free from this orbit, and we haven't been able to," said Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Eco nomics. "Job market concerns will always trump swings in energy prices...

...unemployment."The resilience suggests that jobs remain a more important concern for consumers than gasoline prices," said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities.Gas prices have risen almost every day this month, yet the Consumer Confidence...

...percent. The Dow Jones industrial average, which has fallen six weeks in a row, closed up 123 points, or 1 percent.Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities, said the retail-sales report shows household budgets are still tight...

...dipped below 2 percent 12 times. Ten of those times, the economy was already in recession or soon fell into one, says Mark Vitner, the senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities.Normal economic growth is closer to 3 percent.High gasoline prices...

...Funds.When the economy grows less than 2 percent over a 12-month period, it risks slipping into recession, says Mark Vitner, the senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities. Over the most recent such period, the economy grew just 1.6 percent...

...economists predicted Friday.The 2,100 metro Augusta jobs lost in 2011 are expected to be replaced next year, said Mark Vitner, a managing director and senior economist at Wells Fargo. He was doubtful, however, that the reported job loss numbers...

...is accelerating."There's no doubt that the economy is getting better; we just shouldn't get carried away," Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo, said. "We haven't shifted into a higher gear."Despite six months of solid job...