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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

General Economics

News                                                                                                                             
Market Watch | Service sector growth accelerates in February
The U.S. service sector expanded at a somewhat faster pace in February and indicated growing optimism about the economy, according to a closely followed survey of senior executives.
CNN Money | Stocks headed for pullback
U.S. stocks were poised to open lower on Tuesday, as world markets sold off amid economic growth worries in China and Europe.
Politico | Experts: Economy beating forecasts
Most economists say the United States’ economy is getting better — but President Barack Obama doesn’t get much of the credit for the decline in the unemployment rate, according to a survey out Tuesday.
Bloomberg | European Economy Shrank in Fourth Quarter
Europe’s economy contracted in the fourth quarter as investment declined by the most since 2009 and exports and consumer spending dropped.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
CATO | What Made the Financial Crisis Systemic?
The current narrative regarding the 2008 systemic financial system collapse is that numerous seemingly unrelated events occurred in unregulated or underregulated markets, requiring widespread bailouts of actors across the financial spectrum, from mortgage borrowers to investors in money market funds.
Forbes | Tim Geithner Covers for Corruption On Pennsylvania Avenue
Secretary Geithner, it is you who choose to ignore and misrepresent the lessons of the financial crisis by perpetuating the myth that the source of the crisis was a lack of regulation.
WSJ | Bad News for Boomers
If you're a baby boomer, you've got a big problem when it comes to the investment returns you can expect in retirement:
Daily Caller | Why the Texas economy is booming
Two weeks ago, Texas officials announced that the Lone Star State had crossed an important threshold. After a shorter, less severe recessionary period than the rest of the nation experienced, the state’s labor market had returned to its pre-recession employment levels
Washington Times | Obama undermines coal
The genius of the free market is that it provides consumers with more for less. That principle is turned on its head in the Obama era

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Calculated Risk | Existing Home Inventory declines 21% year-over-year in early March
According to the deptofnumbers.com for monthly inventory (54 metro areas), is off 20.5% compared to the same week last year.
The American | For 99 percent of Americans, the Obama recovery has been no recovery at all
Liberal economist Emmanuel Saez has updated his much-referenced income inequality research. Here’s how the recovery is going after the Great Recession
John Taylor | More Debates about the Stimulus Debate
In a blog post yesterday Paul Krugman repeats a claim made by ChristinaRomer which he says answers “in devastating fashion” the empirical paper by John Cogan and me which shows that stimulus (ARRA) grants led to lower net borrowing by state and local governments. But Romer’s claim actually provides no such answer or rebuttal.
CATO | Time for Some Rapprochement in U.S.-China Economic Relations
Has the Chinese government indulged in protectionist, provocative or otherwise illiberal policies that have, on occasion, violated its commitment to the rules of international trade? Yes.