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Thursday, June 13, 2013

General Economics

News                                                                                                                             
Market Watch | World Bank: Worst risks to recovery are past
The World Bank downgraded its outlook for global growth in its flagship economic report but said the worst risks to the recovery, including a euro-zone meltdown, are now in the past.
CNN Money | Retail sales jump on strong car sales
Retail spending jumped in May, helped by consumers hitting dealer showrooms to buy cars.
Bloomberg | U.S. Mortgage Rates Rise for a Sixth Straight Week
U.S. mortgage rates rose for a sixth week, extending a surge in interest costs spurred by speculation that the Federal Reserve will scale back stimulus efforts.
CNBC | Are Markets Facing a Crisis of Confidence?
The rout in global financial markets that has spared few asset classes extended into Thursday, with Asian stocks plunging across the board, led by a 6 percent fall in Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 in the morning session.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
The American | The ECB Delays at Europe’s Peril
Without bold action from the European Central Bank, it is difficult to see how the European periphery can avoid sinking ever deeper into economic recession in the months ahead.
Market Watch | Broad stock-market decline is gathering momentum
The continuing decline in the broad stock market, as represented by the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, is gathering momentum. The picture appears to have completely changed from what had existed between last November and the top in mid-May.
WSJ | The Reality of Feel-Good Government
The government-supported service organization AmeriCorps got a boost from President Obama in April, when he announced a new program to "connect more professional scientists and engineers to young students who might follow in their footsteps."
WSJ | U.S. Oil Notches Record Growth
U.S. crude-oil production grew by more than one million barrels a day last year, the largest increase in the world and the largest in U.S. history.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Heritage Foundation | GDP: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means
Many decision makers and commentators treat gross domestic product (GDP) as if it measures the whole of the economy. They even use “the economy” and GDP interchangeably. GDP is an accounting device—and a poor measure of economic health. Household wealth is much closer to what we mean by “the economy.”

Health Care

News                                                                                                                             
CNN Money | Obamacare: Is a $2,000 deductible 'affordable?'
Until now, much of the debate swirling around Obamacare has focused on the cost of premiums in the state-based health insurance exchanges.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Washington Times | Banking on Obamacare
Obamacare was supposed to be a boon for everyone who couldn’t afford health care. Now we know that’s not true. Medical coverage is about to become much more expensive, and the poor will be required to open bank accounts, whether they want to or not, paying the $225 in banking fees the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says is the current average.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Heritage Foundation | How Obamacare—and Big Hospitals—Will Raise Health Costs
The New York Times published a column highlighting one way Obamacare will raise health costs: by promoting hospital industry consolidation that will force prices higher.

Monetary

News                                                                                                                             
FOX Business | Trade Prices Unexpectedly Cool in May
Prices for U.S. imports and exports fell unexpectedly in May, a sign of cooler economic growth worldwide that could hurt American factories but likely gave some respite to consumers.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
WSJ | Does ECB Stand for European Conservative Bank?
The European Central Bank has undergone a name change of sorts in the past few days. ECB now appears to stand for Europe’s Conservative Bank.

Taxes

News                                                                                                                             
Politico | Morning Tax: An early filling of the day's tax news
Turner bill would return unused IRS funds to the Treasury - Fix the Debt: Institute for Policy Studies report is off - BUILD report finds small business boost from debt
Washington Times | British watchdogs chastise Google for ‘brazen’ tax dodge
A watchdog group in Britain is accusing Internet giant Google of dodging tax law and failing to pay required revenues, and it’s demanding Prime Minister David Cameron take immediate action.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
CRS | A Brief Overview of Business Types and Their Tax Treatment
The income of subchapter C corporations, also known as "regular" corporations, is taxed once at the corporate level according to the corporate tax system, and then a second time at the individual-shareholder level according to the individual tax rates when corporate dividend payments are made or capital gains are recognized. This leads to the so-called "double taxation" of corporate income.

Employment

News                                                                                                                             
FOX Business | Weekly Jobless Claims Fall More than Expected
The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, nearing its lowest level in five years in a sign of resilience for the U.S. labor market.
CNN Money | Wave of federal retirees to hit government
Some 30% of the federal workforce will be eligible to retire in the next three years, according to a Government Accountability Office report. That means the government could be hit by a wave of retirements at a time when it is already dealing with inadequate staffing, because large numbers of employees are on furlough and hiring freezes are in place to save money and dramatically shrink the federal budget deficit.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
FOX Business | Where the Jobs Are This Week
I am always looking for jobs, and we found an incredible mix of industries this week.
WSJ | People With Disabilities Face 13.4% Unemployment Rate
An improving economy is helping lower the unemployment rate for people with disabilities, though the job market remains tough for the deaf, blind and others with physical or mental conditions.

Budget

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Forbes | Hey, Where Did Our Economy Threatening Fiscal Crisis Run Off To?
Federal policy makers always seem to be looking for reasons to dodge the difficult choices necessary to avoid the fiscal crisis. This month, they got some new excuses.
AEI | Private contractors accelerate growth of government
NSA leaker Edward Snowden didn't draw a paycheck from the federal government, but instead from a federal contractor, Booz Allen Hamilton, which brought in $1.3 billion for its government intelligence work, nearly a quarter of its revenue, according to the New York Times.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
WSJ | U.S. Set for Smallest Deficit in 5 Years
The U.S. government remains on track to post its smallest budget deficit in five years as higher taxes and an improving economy boost revenue.
CATO | The Deficit Is Still Bad News
To listen to much of the mainstream media recently, one would assume that the battle against the national debt has been won.