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Monday, November 26, 2012

General Economics

News                                                                                                                             
Bloomberg | Home Equity Loans Make Comeback Fueling U.S. Spending
After six years of declines, lending for so-called Helocs will rise 30 percent to $79.6 billion in 2012, the highest level since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, according to the economics research unit of Moody’s Corp. Originations next year will jump another 31 percent to $104 billion, it projected.
Market Watch | Understanding the GDP paradox
Like a stuffed turkey, the week after the Thanksgiving break is loaded with economic indicators, including an updated estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product that may be fattened up.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Washington Post | Why the recovery is feeble
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke last week became the latest economist to ask why the current economic recovery has been so weak. The question has inspired a cottage industry of studies, papers and speeches with often-esoteric and murky theories.
Fortune | Wells Fargo CEO: Why Americans are saving so much
CEO John Stumpf discusses how his bank has seen record savings deposit growth, as more Americans look for safe places to put their cash.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Economist | Mexico rising
Last week I wrote a short post on Mexico's improving economic fortunes and its bright outlook. Conveniently, the most recent issue of The Economist features a special report on Mexico, which includes a long look at the country's promising economy.
Calculated Risk | Unofficial Problem Bank list unchanged at 857 Institutions
The first unofficial problem bank list was published in August 2009 with 389 institutions. The number of unofficial problem banks grew steadily and peaked at 1,002 institutions on June 10, 2011. The list has been declining recently.
Calculated Risk | Schedule for Week of Nov 25th
Negotiations concerning the "fiscal slope" in the US will be back in the headlines this week.  And, in Europe, the discussion on funding for Greece will resume on Monday.