Greenspan, At 84, Can See The Future
Alan Greenspan is a child of the Depression, born in 1926. He spends much of his time, now retired from the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve, traveling the globe dispensing advice about the credit…
Economy
All Economy Articles
Newest first · Page 362The Good, The Bad, And The Irrelevant: Turkey Prices Hit All-Time High
Bad. As Thanksgiving approaches, the price of turkey has hit an all-time high, evidence that inflation may have begun to affect the economy more than most Americans imagine Bloomberg reports that “U.S. wholesale, frozen…
Fed’s Fisher Attacks Central Bank Policy: QE2 A Waste Of Money
The head of the Dallas Fed and a regular opponent of the central bank’s plans, Richard Fisher, took issue with a number of the Federal Reserve’s recent decisions. He did concede a few points…
Bernanke Defends Himself In Public
Ben Bernanke, the head of the Federal Reserve, made the remarkable move of defending his policies in public. He used the Op Ed section of The Washington Post as his platform. It is a…
Inflation: Looking Ahead to the Next Decade
By Catherine Wood Inflation is dead, according to financial pundits in the papers and on TV. The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates near zero to stimulate the economy. Mortgage rates are at all-time…
Consumer Income Falls
U.S. consumer spending was nearly flat as the economy moved into the fourth quarter. Personal incomes fell in September, a sign the the holiday retail period may be in trouble. Consumer spending rose .2%,…
The Economics Of Worry
Most Americans (53%) are worried about making their rent and mortgage payments, according to a poll released today by the Washington Post. The poll’s results are depressing but hardly surprising. The almost daily headlines…
The Broad Commodity Boom Is a Negative Economic Signal
By John Tamny of Forbes Some economic commentators have decided that commodities hitting record highs across the board is a signal of a growing global economy. Their argument might be true if the rise…
Consumer Holiday Spending To Drop Again This Year
The average American consumer plans to spend less on holiday gifts this year, according to a new Gallup poll. Gallup’s initial measure of Americans’ 2010 spending intentions found that people plan to spend about $715…
How Do People Make Ends Meet?
It will take decades to calculate the damage caused by the Great Recession, but there is little doubt that even those lucky enough to have jobs are struggling. For young people starting their careers,…
What is “Quantitative Easing,” and Why Should We Care?
Retirees are struggling right now because investment returns are so low that their pensions and IRAs are not producing enough interest income to meet their expenses. Stock prices are where they were 10 years…
The 9 Things That Cost Less Now Than In 2009
Economists, including those at the Fed, are concerne that the U.S. could enter a deflationary cycle. Companies are forced to lower prices in order to boost demand. Faced with lower revenues, they lay off…
Fed’s Beige Book Acts As Economic Upgrade
The newest Beige Book from the Federal Reserve might make you wonder why on earth quantitative easing is necessary. Low growth is still okay, but the jobs issue is still front and center. Will…
An America Low On Education And Graduation
Americans continue to stay out of diploma lines. The American Council On Education has issued a new report that says “today’s young adults are no better educated than the baby boom generation.” That seems…
Many Doomed Americans Aren’t Saving For Retirement
A recent survey about America’s financial literacy shows that people who don’t know the difference between a stock and a bond realize that they need to save money. The problem is many people are…