News
Bloomberg | Americans Spend Less on Finance as Doubt Lingers: EcoPulse
Americans are allocating a smaller share of their spending to investment-related fees since the recession, a sign they are still wary of returning to financial markets even as stocks trade near record highs.
Bloomberg | Growth in U.S. Trails Forecasts as Defense Spending Falls
The U.S. economy grew less than forecast in the first quarter as a drop in defense outlays undercut the biggest increase in consumer spending in two years.
Econ Comments & Analysis
National Journal | Two Completely Different Ways to Deal With the Upward-Mobility Crisis
Top economists from the Clinton and Bush administrations debate how to revive the economy to keep people from getting stuck.
Real Clear Markets | The Great Recession? Crisis? How About Relearning?
Despite a high level of drama in nearly every corner of the economic globe, we have yet to settle on a catchy description for this particular period in history. We have had the Great Financial Crisis, or the Great Recession, following closely behind, and directly related to, the Great Moderation (itself only a slight change from the Great Inflation). While the Great Financial Crisis continues to roll on, particularly in Europe, there are stains and elements still evident elsewhere. Looking at the bigger picture, however, all of these "Greats" could easily fall within the Great Relearning.
Washington Times | Defending U.S. intellectual property
There are few things U.S. workers value more than protecting the fruits of their labor and creativity. On Friday — World Intellectual Property Day — businesses across sectors and throughout the country celebrate American innovation, the millions of high-paying jobs it creates and the invaluable role it plays in rebuilding our economy.
National Journal | The American Dream, Downsized
The Grain Exchange Room in Milwaukee’s old Chamber of Commerce building is a dazzling display of Gilded Age opulence. Its ornate faux-marble columns soar three stories high, and an intricately carved balcony overlooks what is believed to have been the world’s first commodities-exchange trading pit.
Fortune | New home sales: Poised to double?
The trend in new home sales as a share of total is encouraging, rising steadily since year-end 2010. If new home sales return to their 1999-2005 average of 16% of total sales, this would imply ~800k new home sales, or roughly double the current 417,000 run rate.
AEI | 10 lessons from Cyprus
By destroying Cyprus's bank-centric business model and by imposing severe austerity on the country within a euro straitjacket, the International Monetary Fund-European Union bailout package for Cyprus is likely to lead to the literal collapse of the Cypriot economy over the next year and to Cyprus's exit from the euro.
Blogs
Neighborhood Effects | Freedom in the 50 States and Migration
In last month’s publication of Freedom in the 50 States, Will Ruger and Jason Sorens point to net domestic migration as an indicator that Americans demonstrate their preferences for more libertarian states by where they choose to live.
