News
Bloomberg | Euro-Area Industrial Output Surpasses Forecasts: Economy
Euro-area industrial output expanded more than economists forecast in February, adding to signs that the economy is beginning to emerge from a recession.
National Journal | It's Easy to Fix Social Security
President Obama infuriated his left flank Wednesday by including in his budget a Social Security reform that ties the rate of its payouts to the rate of inflation.
CNN Money | No Easter bump: retail sales down in March
The Easter Bunny brought a letdown to retailers this year, as sales slumped in March, marking a weak start to the spring shopping season.
Washington Times | Shale oil find fuels boom in U.S. business
To John LaRue, the renaissance in U.S. manufacturing is no dream. It’s already here.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | Can We Afford Another Housing Boom?
For the 12 months through January, the S&P/Case-Shiller index of 20 U.S. cities shows an annual increase in home prices averaging 8.1%. Prices in Miami were up almost 11% on the year, the Las Vegas market enjoyed a pop of more than 15%, and in Phoenix prices jumped more than 23%. Not a single one of the 20 metropolitan areas in the index suffered an annual price decline.
Fortune | The fuel that could be the end of Ethanol
In 2007 we reported on biobutanol, a biofuel with the potential to solve many of the problems associated with ethanol. Since then, industry players like BP have been seeking ways to make a cost-efficient transition to the "advanced biofuel," and now a scientific breakthrough might finally make that possible.
Politico | CPI myths unchained
You walk through the Safeway deli section looking for lunch meat. The sliced turkey is what you wanted, but the price is a little high. So you check out the ham, like the price, toss it in the cart and go merrily on your way. Watch out - you’ve just committed chain-weighted CPI.
WSJ | Now He's After Your 401(k)
How many times have you read financial-advice stories lecturing you to max-out on your IRA, save as much as you can in your 401(k), and even pay taxes now to change your regular IRA into a Roth IRA that will be tax-free until you die?
Blogs
WSJ | Who Makes Up the ‘Working Poor’ in America?
Roughly 46 million people in the U.S., or 15% of the population, lived below the official poverty line in 2011 ($11,484 for an individual or $23,021 for a family of four per year). About 10.4 million of them are considered part of the “working poor.” That means they spent at least half the year in the labor force (working or looking for work), but they still fell below the poverty level.
CATO | Duplicative Government Programs Are a Symptom of the Problem
The Government Accountability Office has released its third annual report on fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative federal programs and activities. Proponents of making the government more efficient view the findings as an opportunity to achieve cost savings.
Washington Times | Which makes us more miserable: inflation or unemployment?
When people grumble about the bad economy, they are often referring to one of two things: rapid inflation or crippling unemployment.
