News
Bloomberg | German June Business Confidence Drops to Two-Year Low
German business confidence fell to the lowest in more than two years in June as the worsening sovereign debt crisis clouded the economic outlook.
USA Today | Cut college tuition by getting 4-year degree in 3 years
A 25% tuition break first offered three years ago by Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., paid off this spring for a dozen new graduates. All they had to do was squeeze four years of study into three.
CNN Money | 30-year mortgage rate hits record low
The interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage reached a new low this week, falling to an average of 3.66%, according to a weekly survey of rates from Freddie Mac.
USA Today | Abrams: Women entrepreneurs spur emerging countries' growth
When you picture the drivers of the fastest growing economies in the world, countries like China, Brazil, and India, the first thing that pops into your head probably isn't a female entrepreneur.
USA Today | Moody's cuts credit ratings on 15 major banks
Moody's Investors Service has lowered the credit ratings on some of the world's biggest banks, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, reflecting concern over their exposure to the violent swings in global financial markets.
CNN Money | Major banks downgraded by Moody's
Some of the world's biggest banks were downgraded Thursday by rating agency Moody's, which cited concerns about the stability of the global financial system.
Market Watch | Senate approves sweeping five-year farm bill
The Senate on Thursday passed a sweeping, $500 billion farm bill that would end direct payments and other subsidies to farmers, while expanding crop insurance and funneling new money to “specialty” crop growers.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | Why Dodd-Frank Is Unconstitutional
When President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law nearly two years ago, he stated that "our financial system only works—our market is only free—when there are clear rules and basic safeguards that prevent abuse, that check excess, that ensure that it is more profitable to play by the rules than to game the system."
Atlantic | Homeownership Means Little to Economic Growth
The number of housing sales and starts is a commonly used barometer of economic health. The president, his economic advisers, and countless economists and business analysts continue to believe that economic recovery turns on the recovery of the housing market.
The American | The Costliest Regulation You’ve Never Heard Of
A proposed regulation could cost the U.S. banking system hundreds of billions of dollars, in turn costing our economy billions of dollars, and achieving no discernible benefits for banks, depositors, taxpayers, or the U.S. economy.
Forbes | The Looters & The Moochers Are Out To Fleece David AND Goliath
Politics in America has been defined by the media painting in broad strokes, and the only two colors they use are red and blue. The Republicans are pro-entrepreneur, checking government expansion and the Democrats are pro-average Joe, looking out for you and reigning in corporate power.
Washington Times | Mr. President, all is not ‘fine’ in private sector
Last week, I touched on how, as the second quarter was closing, investors would focus increasingly on earnings prospects for the quarter. Despite what we hear from the Oval Office, the updates we’re getting from the field are not encouraging.
Blogs
National Review | The Problem with Europe is the Eurozone Itself
Economist Simon Johnson has a very good piece over at the New York Times’s Economix blog reminding people that the problem with the EU right now isn’t austerity or the lack of it (no matter how you define austerity); rather, it’s the assumptions that led to the creation of the single currency union.
