News
Bloomberg | Companies Forego New Buildings for Renovations: EcoPulse
Many American businesses are choosing to save money by renovating existing buildings instead of constructing new ones, a sign that caution persists even as the economic recovery enters its fifth year.
Market Watch | U.S. wholesale inventories edge up 0.1% in July
U.S. wholesale inventories rose 0.1% in July and wholesale sales also increased by 0.1%, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.
Bloomberg | JPMorgan Removes Lending Barriers in Booming U.S. Markets
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the nation’s largest bank by assets, is easing mortgage lending standards in housing markets hard hit by the crash where prices are surging.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Real Clear Markets | There Was Nothing 'Financial' About the 2008 Crisis
What's most unfortunate five years later is that ‘financial' and ‘crisis' are still used together. It's unfortunate simply because despite what you read, the crisis was decidedly not financial, nor was it caused by a crackup in the housing market, nor was it caused by the failure of Lehman Brothers.
Bloomberg | Are Emerging Economies Entering a Lost Decade?
Financial markets are signaling that several major emerging economies may be approaching crisis.
WSJ | First Rule of Patent Reform: Do No Harm
With Congress back in session, lawmakers are drafting new patent legislation in response to a perceived increase in patent-infringement lawsuits lodged by "trolls" who are accused of being more interested in payoffs than in progress. Judging by the number of proposals, the current patent regime may need improvement. But the stakes are high, and Congress must be careful not to get patent reform wrong.
Forbes | As Entrepreneurs Keep Reminding Us, They Lied To Us In Econ. 101
Can theoretical, scientific study of complex systems inform the hardscrabble world of start-ups? Yes.
WSJ | Five Years Later, Financial Lessons Not Learned
Next Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of the fateful day that investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, signaling the start of a frightening financial meltdown. It's a good time to ponder how the U.S. economy was nearly brought to ruin. But will we? Or are we already forgetting?
NY Times | Can the Government Actually Do Anything About Inequality?
For a moment, let’s forget the central debate of our political period — how much of a role government should play in our lives — and ask a different question: can government policies counteract inequality in any meaningful way?
NBER | Time-To-Plan Lags for Commercial Construction Projects
We use a large project-level dataset to estimate the length of the planning period for commercial construction projects in the United States.
Blogs
WSJ | Poorest Americans Still Spending Less Than They Did in 2008
The average American household spent $51,442 in 2012, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That’s more than the $50,486 spent in 2008, the first time since the recession that average spending has topped its prior peak. Spending bottomed out at $48,109 in 2010.
