News
CNN: Money | What it takes to be 'Made in USA'
With so much talk about the need to revive U.S. manufacturing and create jobs, more companies are touting their American-made roots in order to lure customers.
Politico | Shell’s arctic oil and gas exploration is on hold
Shell scrapped plans to drill for oil and gas off Alaska this year after a spill containment system crucial to the company’s efforts to explore in the icy Arctic waters was damaged during a test.
Bloomberg | Global Economy in Twilight Zone as Stocks Suggest Growth
The world economy is sliding into a “twilight zone,” trapped between outright expansion and renewed recession. “It could go either way,” said Joachim Fels, chief economist at Morgan Stanley in London, who coined the description in an Aug. 15 report. “It doesn’t take much to tip us into a global recession.”
Market Watch | NAHB builders index hits 6-year high in September
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo housing market index gained 3 points to a seasonally adjusted reading of 40, the highest the index has been since June 2006.
Bloomberg | German Investor Confidence Rises First Time Since April
German stocks have risen to a 14-month high since ECB President Mario Draghi said on Sept. 6 the bank may buy unlimited amounts of government bonds to contain yields in countries that seek assistance from Europe’s bailout fund.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Cato Institute | Freedom Is Key to Prosperity
Unless American voters and the politicians they elect reverse course, our future will be one of stagnation, dependency, broken promises, and increased political corruption.
Washington Times | MEAD: Hydro-fracking regulations should be left to states
Federal government bogs down process.
Bloomberg | U.S. Banks Ignore Europe’s Lesson on Greed
Four years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and the near-total paralysis of capitalism’s central nervous system -- the moment fear completely overwhelmed greed on Wall Street -- we are starting to see a few glimmers of hope.
WSJ | Big Labor vs. the Poor
Labor unions, liberal activists and Democratic politicians were cheering Friday night after Walmart announced that it had dropped plans to construct a big-box store in an economically depressed section of New York City. Jobless New Yorkers can be forgiven for not joining in the celebration.
Washington Times | RAHN: America in free-fall
Economic freedom in the U.S. is dropping fast.
Aol Energy | America's Biggest Energy Thieves
Utility customers face a "perfect storm" of sharply higher bills for electricity and natural gas because trillions of dollars in capital expenditure will be needed to upgrade aging US infrastructure and comply with environmental rules, the head of America's utility regulators' association told AOL Energy earlier this year.
Cato Institute | Leave It to the Private Sector
Head Start is the federal government's primary early childhood program, with a budget of almost $8 billion. According to its most recent assessment by the Department of Health and Human Services, it has almost no lasting, positive cognitive effects.
Blogs
Cato @ Liberty | The U.S. Takes a Dive in Economic Freedom of the World Index
Government spending and regulations have grown, the rule of law and protection of property rights have weakened, and foreign investment and non-tariff barriers have increased.
Tax Foundation | CRS: Nothing Affects Economic Growth
A study by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is getting a lot of attention, because it finds that tax cuts are not associated with economic growth. Although less reported, the study also finds nothing is associated with economic growth, including all the standard factors such as education, population growth, and government spending.
Mercatus Center | The Problem with States’ Rights
In the coming year, we hope to pursue research exploring what institutions limit competition within American federalism and what institutions prevent collusion between the federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
