News
FOX Business | When Investing, Most of Us Set Ourselves Up for Losses, It's Time to Stop
While the Federal Reserve has indicated it will not be raising short-term interest rates any time soon, the Fed does not control long-term rates. “By reaching for yield out the maturity curve, investors are putting themselves at greater risk for price declines if interest rates move higher,” warns Davidson. “The catalyst,” he says, “will be a return to ‘normal.’”
CNN Money | Home prices cool in February
Home prices cooled off in February, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. Prices were relatively unchanged compared to January. Compared to a year ago, prices rose 12.9%. That's down from an annual gain of 13.2% in January.
Bloomberg | Euro-Area April Economic Confidence Unexpectedly Declines
Euro-area economic confidence unexpectedly fell in April, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank as it considers unprecedented steps to avert the risk of deflation.
WSJ | GAO: U.S. Foreclosure Review Could Have Generated Higher Payments
A comprehensive review of major banks' foreclosure files could have delivered an additional $1.5 billion in cash to consumers if it wasn't halted last year, a federal watchdog has found.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Washington Times | Johnson-Crapo is Obamacare for homebuilders
Nationalizing health care, which represents one-sixth of the economy, has been nothing short of a disaster. Nearly everyone recognizes that, but Congress hasn’t noticed. The Senate will vote Tuesday to establish a permanent federal presence in housing, which represents another one-sixth of the economy. Government manipulation of the housing sector was one of the primary causes of the Great Recession, and an Obamacare-style takeover will make things worse.
Real Clear Markets | With the Keystone Delay, U.S. Is the Only Loser
President Obama chose Good Friday to announce another delay in the Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring crude oil from Canada to our refineries near the Gulf. If the pipeline is not approved, Alberta's oil will go to Asia-and the United States will be the big loser.
Politico | America’s Housing Market Is Broken
They say that the best time to fix a leaky roof is when the sun is shining. So now that we are out of the financial storm, this is the time to fix our broken housing finance system. If we don’t, we will be no better prepared for the damage that will rain down when the next tempest comes.
Heritage Foundation | How Social Security Works in 2014
Social Security touches the life of almost every worker in America, yet few know how the program works. In practice, Social Security uses complex benefit formulas and detailed rules that make it difficult for people to understand the program’s scope, its financing, how benefits are determined, and a number of other issues.
