News
Politico | Farm bill remains challenge
These next two weeks running up to Thanksgiving are pivotal if a farm bill is to be salvaged this year. And this pattern of distorted numbers not only sows confusion but can infect the negotiators themselves.
CNN Money | Eurozone recovery fades as growth stalls
Europe's recovery from 18 months of recession stalled in the third quarter as exports slowed and the region's second-biggest economy slipped back into reverse gear.
Politico | U.S. oil output tops imports for first time since 1995
But the U.S. is far from being completely energy independent even if oil imports are dropping. Analysts note that the country is still affected by swings in oil prices, which are set on world markets.
Fox News | US trade deficit widens 8 percent in September to $41.8 billion, highest in 4 months
The U.S. trade deficit widened in September as imports increased to the highest level in 10 months while exports slipped.
Washington Times | Fewer homes repossessed by lenders in October
Some 37,775 homes nationwide completed the foreclosure process in October, down 1 percent from the previous month and a decline of 29 percent compared with October last year, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Forbes | Statism: Whether Fascist or Communist, It's The Deadly Opposite of Capitalism
Communism advocates the abolition of private property; socialism advocates government ownership of the means of production. Fascism leaves that property in private hands–then shackles those hands, every economic decision being directed by the state. Property rights are non-existent under fascism.
Investors | Economy Is Way Too Complex To Be Planned From D.C.
Suggesting that Congress and the president are ignorant of the fact that knowledge is highly dispersed and decisions made locally produce the best outcomes might be overly generous.
Blogs
WSJ: Real Time Economics | Productivity’s Pitifully Poor Performance
Weak productivity is putting pressure on businesses’ cost structure and profit margins.
Econ Lib | Would Buy-and-Hold Cut Finance Down to Size?
Suppose buy-and-hold investment strategies were near-universal. To be more specific, suppose 90% of all investment dollars were used to robotically purchase the market basket, then hold these assets until retirement. In this scenario, would the finance sector dramatically shrink?
