News
Market Watch | U.S. trade gap stays near 18-month low in July
The U.S. trade deficit widened 0.2% in July to $42.0 billion, just marginally above the 18-month low set June, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
Bloomberg | Wen Signals China Has Ample Policy Room to Meet Growth Goal
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the nation has full confidence it will meet its economic goals for the year and signaled there’s more room for fiscal and monetary policy to support growth.
Bloomberg | Big Banks Hide Risk Transforming Collateral for Traders
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Bank of America Corp. are helping clients find an extra $2.6 trillion to back derivatives trades amid signs that a shortage of quality collateral will erode efforts to safeguard the financial system.
Market Watch | Consumer credit drops for first time in 11 months
Consumer credit declined in July for the first time in 11 months as Americans turned to their plastic less and as growth in student loans cooled, according to data released Monday.
Market Watch | Small-business index climbs in August, NFIB says
Small-business optimism rose in August as owners become more optimistic on the economy and future sales and increased their plans to hire, according to an index released Tuesday.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Washington Times | Rebuilding U.S. global leadership
Today, the names of those who were lost on Sept. 11, 2001, will be read aloud at memorials in Shanksville, Pa., Washington, D.C., and New York City — 11 years after a morning that introduced many Americans to terrorism and a brutal group known as al Qaeda.
Blogs
AEI | Manufacturing profits are 35% above pre-recession levels
U.S. manufacturers had another solid quarter of profits from April to June, according to data released today by the Census Bureau.
