News
Bloomberg | Home Prices Rise in 88% of U.S. Cities as Recovery Gains
Prices for single-family homes climbed in almost 88 percent of U.S. cities in the fourth quarter as the housing recovery broadened.
Market Watch | At the retail level, economy could stutter
We’re about to find out how consumers reacted to higher taxes and less take-home pay in January.
Bloomberg | Too-Big-to-Fail Bill, Fund Bonuses, Libor: Compliance
U.S. Representative John Campbell plans to offer legislation aimed at reducing the size of “too- big-to-fail” banks by requiring them to hold more capital including long-term debt.
Market Watch | NFIB small-business index edges up in January
A measure of small-business sentiment saw a slight gain in January, helped by an increase in the number who expect the economy to improve.
CNBC | Economic Forecast: More Jobs, Faster Growth
The first half of 2013 is expected to be sluggish as government spending cuts dampen growth and a payroll tax increase crimps consumer spending.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Washington Times | ‘College-for-all’ policy bad for students, bad for jobs
Evidence continues to mount that college is not for everyone, but the United States persists in the fiction that students are shortchanged without a four-year degree. The real losers in the final analysis are young people who are counseled to pursue a sheepskin when they have neither the interest nor ability.
CBO | Growth in Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits for Low-Income Households
The federal government devotes roughly one-sixth of its spending to 10 major means-tested programs and tax credits, which provide cash payments or assistance in obtaining health care, food, housing, or education to people with relatively low income or few assets.
Real Clear Markets | Obama Must Drop Green For Real Energy
In his State of the Union address tonight President Obama will call for more "investments" in green energy to help the economy, according to White House sources.
CBO | Federal Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits - Infographic
Federal means-tested programs and tax credits provide cash payments or assistance with health care, nutrition, education, housing, or other needs to people with relatively low income or few assets.
Blogs
WSJ | Number of the Week: Expect Wider Trade Gap in 2013
$2.196 trillion: The total value of U.S. exports in 2012. The U.S. looks set to grow faster than most advanced economies in 2013, but there’s a downside to being the cleanest dirty shirt in the laundry pile: a wider trade deficit.
Library of Economics | Capacity Utilization & Economic Growth: A Broken Relationship
In the past, there was quite a strong relationship between changes in capacity utilization and short-term GDP growth, especially if you leave out the service sector (which is usually stable anyway).
WSJ | Vital Signs Chart: Mortgage Rates Highest Since September
Mortgage rates held steady last week after climbing in January. The rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage stands at 3.53%, the highest since September — though well below the 6% level seen five years ago.
WSJ | Vital Signs Chart: Lending to Businesses Increases
Banks’ commercial and industrial loans climbed a seasonally adjusted $21.9 billion in December, the biggest jump since February 2012, the Federal Reserve said.
