News
CNN Money | The shrinking private equity world
The notoriously private private equity industry can't escape the glare of the spotlight these days, but the more immediate issue facing the industry is a lack of funding.
Bloomberg | Business Confidence in Germany Rises More Than Forecast to Five-Month High
German business confidence jumped more than economists forecast in January to a five-month high, signaling Europe’s largest economy may avoid a recession.
Market Watch | British economy shrinks, stirs QE speculation
The British economy staggered toward recession in the final three months of 2011, official data showed Wednesday, with gross domestic product shrinking 0.2% compared to the third quarter and boosting expectations for an expanded dose of quantitative easing by the Bank of England.
CNN Money | Freddie Mac: What it did, what went wrong
What the firm did, and the role it and larger rival Fannie Mae played in the housing crisis of the last decade, remain a source of confusion for many Americans.
Daily Finance | Why Gasoline Could Hit $5 a Gallon This Summer
If you think you're paying a lot at the gas pump now, just wait until summer hits. Stronger summer demand could lead to record-high gas prices as an economic recovery takes hold and turmoil in the Middle East sends the price of oil higher.
Econ Comments & Analysis
CRS | Definitions of "Inherently Governmental Functions" in Federal Procurement Law and Guidance
An "inherently governmental function" is one that, as a matter of federal law and policy, must be performed by government employees and cannot be contracted out. Two main definitions of inherently governmental functions currently exist within federal law and agency directives.
Washington Times | Drawing a pipeline in the sand
Sometimes “no” is not an acceptable answer. Last week, President Obama rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, apparently dooming the 20,000 meaningful private-sector jobs the energy project would have created.
WSJ | Economics for the Long Run
As this election year begins, a lot of people are wondering what we can do to restore America's prosperity and create more jobs. I believe the fundamental answer is simple: Government policies must adhere more closely to the principles of economic freedom upon which the country was founded.
Washington Times | A state of class warfare
Whenever President Obama is in the same room as his teleprompter, expect to hear the class warrior emerge. Mr. Obama’s words Tuesday were no exception.
Real Clear Markets | Underestimating the Horrors of Dodd-Frank
Tuesday's GOP debate moderator was shocked by the front-runners' broadside against Dodd-Frank banking rules. He seemed to think they were hyping their damage. They weren't.
The American | Dining with Vultures: Rent-to-Own, the Feds, and the Housing Sector
The Federal Reserve estimates in a white paper that there were about 500,000 real-estate-owned properties for sale in the second quarter of 2011 (REO is the term for properties where mortgage lenders have taken ownership after default, usually by foreclosure), and that there will be potentially 1 million more foreclosures in each of 2012 and 2013.
Blogs
Heritage Foundation | Chinese Statistics: Start with Skepticism
To be clear, it is not true that Chinese numbers are wrong all the time. Also, China does not always overstate its economic performance. GDP growth was slower in 2011 than Beijing claims, but it was faster in 2010. In fact, the economy is likely larger than the government reports.
Economist | The zero-sum president
For a president whose hallmark has been soaring orations promising hope, however, Mr Obama's take on the global economy is strikingly bleak and depressing.
Reason Foundation | FHFA Says Principal Reductions Would Cost Taxpayers $100 Billion
There have been a number of calls for forced principal reduction as a means of addressing trouble in the housing market. Even the Fed earlier this month suggested serious consideration be given to breaking MBS contracts and forcibly reducing the principal on mortgages that are underwater.
The American | IMF to America (and Obama): Slow growth ahead in 2012
Total output is predicted to increase by 3.3. percent, including 1.8 percent in the U.S. and a 0.5 percent contraction in the Eurozone.
WSJ | When Downside Scenarios for the Economy Play Out
The economists at the International Monetary Fund can take some credit today for making one good projection on Europe — though it’s not a pretty one.
