News
Market Watch | NFIB small-business index edges higher in February
The National Federation of Independent Business on Tuesday said its small-business confidence index edged up 1.9 points to 90.8% in February, but it remained low by historical standards.
Bloomberg | Truck Stocks Buoyed by Growth in U.S. Economy: EcoPulse
Shares of companies that own and operate their truck fleets are outperforming those that act as brokers for trucking services, driven by stronger U.S. freight activity.
Econ Comments & Analysis
NY Times | Realities Behind Prosecuting Big Banks
Are banks too big to jail? If there was any doubt about the answer to that question, Eric H. Holder Jr., the nation’s attorney general, last week blurted out what we’ve all known to be true but few inside the Obama administration have said aloud: Yes, they are.
Bloomberg | Cut Global Red Tape to Promote Economic Growth
Imagine that you own a small but rapidly growing company in Vermont, and that your products are starting to sell in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. You would probably hate it if those states forced you to comply with inconsistent and redundant regulatory requirements.
WSJ | The Ethanol Gas-Pump Surcharge
With gas prices above $4 a gallon in many parts of the U.S., consumers have a right to know why. Crude oil prices have fallen by 1% since the end of February even as gas prices are up 12%, according to an analysis by Reuters. So higher oil prices aren't the answer. Blame this one, at least in part, on Washington and ethanol.
US News | Financial Innovation Key to Future of Homeownership
The housing bubble and ensuing financial crisis not only wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy, but it also shook public confidence in financial markets and robbed Americans of their faith in homeownership as a stable iconic pillar of middle class security.
Mercatus | Key Assumptions Behind CBO's GDP Outlook
Since CBO’s projected debt and deficit figures are contingent on other economic indicators like GDP, examining the assumptions underlying these figures is critical. Under a more realistic assumption of GDP growth, actual debt in 2023 might be even higher than the 77 percent of GDP projected in the CBO’s baseline scenario.
AEI | Realty, Unreality: Are low appraisal values a problem in housing?
Headlines such as Unrealistically Low Appraisal Values in Up Markets a Problem and Low Valuation in Home Appraisals Causing Steady Level of Contract Glitches are commonly used by the National Association Realtors (NAR).
Blogs
WSJ | Secondary Sources: Housing and Inflation, Economy-Market Disconnect, Sandy Bounceback
A roundup of economic news from around the Web.
