News
National Journal | HUD Secretary Says Housing Market Has Reached a 'Turning Point'
Housing and Urban Development Department Secretary Shaun Donovan said on Tuesday the housing market reached a “turning point” this winter but the administration is still grappling with how to solve three main sources of stress preventing a robust recovery.
USA Today | Most student loans unaffected by upcoming increase in rates
You know an issue has reached critical mass when it's the topic of late-night comedian Jimmy Fallon's "Slow Jam the News" segment, and none other than President Obama shows up to help.
CNN Money | Europe's next recession risk: Germany
As recession spreads across Europe, Germany may not be able to avoid being dragged down.
Washington Times | U.S. manufacturing grows at fastest pace since June
U.S. manufacturing grew last month at the fastest pace in nearly a year. New orders, production and a measure of employment all rose.
CNN Money | Debt inequality is the new income inequality
The bottom 95% of Americans have seen debt levels balloon compared to their earnings over the past 20 years or so, as falling incomes made them more dependent on credit to maintain their lifestyles.
National Journal | Fed Study Indicates Community Banks Unscathed by Durbin Swipe Fee
A Federal Reserve Board study released on Tuesday delivered a major blow to arguments by the financial-services lobby that an amendment added to the Dodd-Frank finance reform law to regulate the swipe fees on debit-card purchases charged to merchants would hurt community banks and credit unions.
Econ Comments & Analysis
NBER | On the Road: Access to Transportation Infrastructure and Economic Growth in China
This paper estimates the effect of access to transportation networks on regional economic outcomes in China over a twenty-period of rapid income growth. It addresses the problem of the endogenous placement of networks by exploiting the fact that these networks tend to connect historical cities.
Washington Times | Running on empty
There’s a disconnect between the economy’s relentless slowdown in the fourth year of Barack Obama’s presidency and the sideshow issues he’s raising on the campaign trail. Actually, “issues” is a gross exaggeration of the sleight-of-hand politics he’s practicing right now in a desperate bid to save his presidency.
CNN Money | The rich are working harder
Not only has the income gap between the rich and the poor grown since the 1980s, but the leisure divide has widened too, a new study from three National Bureau of Economic Research associates has found.
Politico | More job-killer than job-creator
Many Americans think Washington is broken, out of touch and unaccountable. For good reason: When it comes to jobs and economic growth, Washington often just can’t get it right. Consider how the Obama administration has made a mess of important opportunities that would provide more jobs and greater prosperity.
Daily Caller | Defending innovation in America
MacroSolve filed suit earlier this year against big guns like Wal-Mart, Marriott, and Facebook over app-related patent infringement, and the critics immediately cried troll. Yet MacroSolve’s continuing 15-year record as a player in the mobile technology market suggests otherwise, and it highlights a crucial point: Not every company that brings suit for software patent infringement is an exploiter.
Washington Times | Obama policies threaten the most vulnerable
Choice is a word that generates powerful emotions, especially in America, and most notably when it concerns the freedom to choose in extremely personal settings, such as health care.
Blogs
Economist | This is how the recovery succeeds or fails
Much as we've been talking about the meaning and importance of a rigid 2% inflation target in America, it would be useful to have a tangible example to help illustrate the point.
