General Economics

News                                                                                                                             
Wall Street Journal | U.S. October Industrial Production Slips 0.1%
U.S. industrial production slipped in October, a sign domestic economic growth could slow further in the final months of 2014.
Wall Street Journal | Producer Prices Rise 0.2% in October
The producer-price index for final demand, which measures changes in the prices firms receive for their goods and services, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in October from a month earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Forbes | Why Japan's Economy Is In A Ditch -- And What Must Be Done To Pull It Out
“Japan Falls into Recession” is the lead headline in today’s business news, as the world’s third-largest economy shrank in the third quarter. The previous quarter had also seen the economy contract, but that downturn was spun as a temporary reaction to the government’s 60% increase in the national sales tax last spring. Temporary it was not.

Health Care

News                                                                                                                             
CNN Money | Americans don't like Obamacare, even if enrollees do
A record number of Americans are giving Obamacare two thumbs down, even though enrollees like it and plan to renew their insurance coverage.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Washington Times | The stupidity of "experts"
The only surprising thing about Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber's revelations that the legislation was based on a series of lies and voter stupidity was that Mr. Gruber was so stupid to think that no one would see that videos of him saying so.

Monetary

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Wall Street Journal | Capital Controls May Make Economic Sense, Minneapolis Fed Paper Says
Countries may at times find it useful to restrict rapid capital flows because the short-term benefits of these large investments may be outweighed by an eventual drag from a stronger currency and more expensive exports, according to two economists at theFederal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Wall Street Journal | Yellen Is Getting the Fiscal Policy Bernanke Asked For
Developed economy central banks have been trying for years to counteract the contractionary effects of tight fiscal policy that emerged in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

Taxes

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Forbes | Proper Staffing And Reform Of JCT, CBO Is An IQ Test For The Republican Party
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) are congressional bureaucracies that wield tremendous power on Capitol Hill because of their role as fiscal scorekeepers and referees.

Employment

News                                                                                                                             
Real Clear Markets | Obama's War On Working Women
Now that the midterm elections are over, the Department of Labor is getting ready to release new proposed rules on overtime pay. These rules will fulfill President Obama'spromise to raise the salary level at which employers are required to pay overtime. In March, at the White House, the President said, "Overtime is a pretty simple idea: If you have to work more, you should get paid more."
Market Watch | Why long-term unemployed should not be ignored
Most people who have been out of work a long time still want a job and they should not be ignored when assessing the health of the U.S. labor market, a study says.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Wall Street Journal | Long-Term Unemployment a Sign of Slack, NY Fed Economists Say
The long-term unemployed are just as much a part of the U.S. workforce as those jobless for shorter spells, and should not be discounted as policy makers try to assess much unused capacity remains, New York Fed economists write in a new blog post.

Budget

News                                                                                                                             
CNN Money | The push to keep Washington's impartial budget wonk
His analysis has sometimes ticked off the right or irritated the left. And it's ruffled the White House occasionally too.