News
CNN Money | Now on your restaurant bill: Obamacare fee
Diners at eight Gator's Dockside casual eateries are finding a 1% Affordable Care Act surcharge on their tabs, which comes to 15 cents on a typical $15 lunch tab. Signs on the door and at tables alert diners to the fee, which is also listed separately on the bill.
FOX Business | Freddie Mac Rakes in $8.6B in 4Q Profits, Repays $71.3 Billion Bailout
Freddie Mac revealed on Thursday it hauled in $8.6 billion of profits during the fourth quarter, paving the way for the government-controlled mortgage giant to return another $10.4 billion to taxpayers.
CNN Money | Housing inequality: The tale of two communities
Home values in the top 10% wealthiest communities are worth more than six times that in the bottom 40%, a new survey has found.
Bloomberg | Economy in U.S. Expanded at Slower Pace Than First Estimated
The economy in the U.S. grew at a slower pace in the fourth quarter than previously estimated, giving the expansion less momentum heading into 2014.
CNN Money | Identity theft tops consumer complaints...again
Identity thieves were once again consumers' greatest gripe last year, followed by pesky debt collectors and frustrating banks and lenders.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | Higher Ed's Illusions
For years, polling data has shown that Americans hold the U.S. Congress in low esteem, with the Members' approval often sinking into the teens. So guess which American institution is on course to join them? It's our colleges and universities. Congress at least admits it's doing a poor job. The colleges don't.
Washington Times | How Obama drowns Main Street in regulations
A prescription for a more robust American economic recovery is not a mystery — the catalyst of job growth is small business. At a time when small businesses should be at the heart of our nation’s comeback, America’s best job creators deserve leaders who create an environment where businesses can thrive.
NY Times | A Dire Economic Forecast Based on New Assumptions
The part of the past that you deem most relevant can be critical in determining your outlook for the future. And nowhere is that clearer than in the changing economic forecasts that come out of the Congressional Budget Office.
CATO | Minimum Wages: A Poor Way to Reduce Poverty
While alleviating poverty is a widely shared goal, raising the minimum wage is a very inefficient means of achieving this objective and is likely to hurt many low-skilled workers.
Blogs
WSJ | Vital Signs: Demand for Capital Goods Flattens Out
Thursday’s durable goods report was a mixed bag, but of particular interest to the economic outlook is the trend in orders for capital goods that contribute to the business-investment sector of gross domestic product.
