News
FOX Business | U.S. Fourth-Quarter Productivity Slashed
The U.S. government on Thursday sharply revised down nonfarm productivity for the fourth quarter, mirroring the economy's slow growth pace in the same period.
CNN Money | Staples to close 225 stores
Staples will close 225 stores in North America by the middle of next year as the office supply retailer tries to trim costs in the face of weaker sales.
WSJ | Winter's Impact Blunts Modest Growth Across U.S.
Unusually cold weather hampered economic growth nationwide in recent months while several pockets of the country showed strength, underscoring the disruptive impact Mother Nature has had on recent data.
Econ Comments & Analysis
The American | How to Avoid Another Global Financial Crisis
September 15, 2008 was not just the beginning of the financial crisis, which may very well have been the greatest financial crisis ever (the Great Depression of the 1930s was a far more devastating economic problem). In the hours and days following the Lehman Brothers default that day, there was a virtual breakdown of the global financial system.
WSJ | How Housing Policy Hurts the Middle Class
The American dream traditionally meant that anyone could get ahead based on ability and hard work. But over the past few decades, the United States government created incentives through housing programs and the tax code that changed the dream for many Americans. Middle-class families began to think of homes as investments, not just shelter. When the housing market crashed, everyone suffered—homeowners, investors, wage-earners and taxpayers.
Fortune | Is the bond market rigged?
Big IPO-like spikes, clients being favored over others, and the potential for unfair Wall Street profits. This certainly sounds like another manipulated market.
AEI | Who should get Fannie and Freddie’s profits?
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, operating entirely as an arm of the government, entirely dependent on the credit of the government, and getting huge subsidies and favors from the government, have begun making large profits, all of which they are paying to the US Treasury. Speculators in the old, junior preferred stock and common stock of Fannie and Freddie are objecting that this is unjust.
The Atlantic | The U.S. Economy's Big Baby Problem
Last September, the U.S. government announced that our birthrate fell to "another record low" in 2012, following a long, steady slide since the Baby Boom after World War II.
Blogs
WSJ | Fed’s Williams Still Expects US Growth At 2.5%-3% This Year
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams said Wednesday he continues to have an optimistic view of the economy’s outlook despite recent weakness in growth.
WSJ | Driving Through the Data Fog
Economic data are by nature imprecise: Witness how often the initial readings need to be revised, in some cases significantly.
