News
Barron's | Economic Fears Boost Treasuries
Government-bond prices rose and yields fell last week amid fresh concerns about the economy that sent investors in search of safety.
CNN: Money | Flood wreaks havoc with Mississippi economy
The flood is causing a profound disruption to "the economic engine that is the Mississippi River," said Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute, an insurer-supported research group. "The Mississippi River flows with just as much money as it does water, even at this stage of modern transport," he said.
Source | Economists: Lower growth, higher oil prices coming
In a survey that the NABE releases Monday, a panel of 41 economists also said they "remain highly concerned" about the growing federal deficit, and said that growth in the first three months of the year had been weaker than expected.
National Journal | Obama Announces More Drilling in Alaska, Gulf
With a backdrop of high gas prices, President Obama used his weekly radio address on Saturday to announce plans to increase domestic oil and gas drilling onshore in Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.
Econ Comments
Washington Times | ROHAC: Income inequality doesn’t matter
The poor benefit most from removal of economic obstacles.
USA Today | Column: How Wal-Mart drives progressives crazy
One reason Wal-Mart is such a fun company to observe is it drives progressives nuts. They have a split personality before the Bentonville behemoth.
WSJ | States of Business
Wisconsin jumps ahead in a new CEO survey.
National Journal | Sen. Sherrod Brown Calls for End to Big Oil Subsidies
"Big, profitable companies do not need handouts from the government to expand their business," Brown wrote, pointing to both the $32 billion in profits these companies in the first quarter as well as rising retail gas prices. "It would be one thing if they were using the subsidies to expand production, helping to lower prices at the pump. But production levels are at an all-time high, and Big Oil companies have testified before Congress that they do not need incentives for oil exploration."
Washington Post | The elderly are better off than advertised
I have been urging higher eligibility ages and more means-testing for Social Security and Medicare for so long that I forget that many Americans still accept the outdated and propagandistic notion that old age automatically impoverishes people.
Minyanville | Voodoo Economics: Policy Responses to the Global Financial Crisis
In framing policy responses to the global financial crisis, central bankers and governments have increasingly embraced more exotic forms of "voodoo."
Blogs
Calculated Risk | Schedule for Week of May 15th
Three key housing reports will be released this week: May homebuilder confidence on Monday, April housing starts on Tuesday, and April existing home sales
on Wednesday.
Calculated Risk | Unofficial Problem Bank list at 983 Institutions
Here is the unofficial problem bank list for May 13, 2011.
Heritage Foundation | What If Oil Producers Actually Received Subsidies Like Wind Energy Producers?
With the current debate over ending oil producers’ subsidies the question arises as to what subsidies do the producers actually get. It is a surprisingly complicated question.
Reports
NBER | The Cost of Fuel Economy in the Indian Passenger Vehicle Market
To investigate how fuel economy is valued in the Indian car market, we compute the cost to Indian consumers of purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle and compare it to the benefit of lower fuel costs over the life of the vehicle.
RCM: Wells Fargo | Weekly Economic & Financial Commentary
After a Momentous Week Comes a Discerning Week.
