News
Market Watch | EPA delays ‘fracking’ rules until 2015
Wells where natural gas is captured through the controversial “fracking” technique will have until 2015 to comply with new rules designed to reduce air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.
WSJ | Europe's Rescue Plan Falters
Europe's bold program to defuse its financial crisis by injecting cash into the banking system is running out of steam.
Market Watch | U.S. bows to Wall Street on derivatives
Under pressure from Wall Street, energy companies and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the nation’s commodity futures and securities regulators Wednesday approved rules that would require a smaller group of derivatives traders to set aside capital than they had originally considered.
CNN Money | Sluggish recovery here to stay
The recovery is still chugging along at a sluggish pace, and unfortunately, it looks like it may stay that way for a while.
WSJ | Japan Swings to Trade Deficit
Japan swung back into a trade deficit in March as a steady rise in energy imports outweighed a rebound in automobile exports after last year's flooding in Thailand.
Market Watch | Outside help no solution to euro zone troubles
Visitors to a recent conference in northern Italy became painfully aware of what ails the Italian economy. It was fascinating to watch how a ferry employee methodically slowed down the sales of tickets to a long line of tourists who watched aghast as the mostly empty ferries left without them.
Politico | Your Congress at work
America, here is what your Congress did for you this week.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Daily Caller | Learning from the Solyndra debacle
The government’s green energy policy includes two parts: (1) supporting basic research, with the aim of developing new green energy technologies; and (2) making loan guarantees that promote the adoption of green energy technologies.
Washington Times | Plugging into American energy
As the national average price for a gallon of gas creeps toward $4, millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet.
AEI | Taking on the notion of 'too big to fail'
The financial crisis left the biggest U.S. banks bigger, and amplified concerns that these banks are TBTF: "Too Big to Fail." Calls for action to address TBTF were given considerable impetus by the recent annual report of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, which asserted that "the vitality of our capitalist system" and "long-term prosperity" depend on eliminating TBTF.
Heritage Foundation | The U.S. Sugar Program: Bad for Consumers, Bad for Agriculture, and Bad for America
Government interference in the sugar market hurts consumers and food manufacturers by driving up the price of sugar, threatening competitive farmers and ranchers by jeopardizing export growth, and weakening the U.S. economy by diverting resources from more competitive uses. This Depression-era program, which was supposed to end in 1940, has outlived its intended lifespan by 72 years.[1] It should be abolished.
Blogs
WSJ | Key Reason for Wage Inequality Is Education
The widening gap between America’s haves and have-nots (highlighted in a Journal article today) is fueling debate across the political spectrum. But here’s one less-appreciated take-way: It suggests getting a college education — and indeed, an advanced degree — might just be worth the hefty price tag.
