Hot Stories

Labor Force Participation Rate Sensitivity

This morning I posted some comments from Michelle Meyer at Merrill Lynch on the likely path of the labor force participation rate. She wrote: [W]e forecast the LFPR will slip slightly this year, but with a stronger recovery under way next year, the LFPR should... (read more)
 

Succinct Summations of Weeks Events (May 24 2013)

Succinct Summations for the week ending May 24. Very light data week despite all the noise.Positives:1. U.S. jobless claims fell 23k to 340k v expectations of 345k. 2. Housing remains a significant tailwind in the U.S. as existing home sales increase 0.6% m/o/m... (read more)
 

Zen and the art of bridge maintenance

The collapse of an Interstate 5 bridge in Washington state Thursday night offered a wake-up call about the sorry state of disrepair in which weve left our country’s auto-centric transportation system. But all the talk about aging bridges and infrastructure... (read more)
 

Remember When the IRS Targeted Liberals?

by Linda BealeRemember When the IRS Targeted Liberals?Salon’s Alex Seitz-Wald has a story that provides additional context on the difficulty the IRS has in determining appropriate filters for political activity. See “When the IRS targeted liberals:... (read more)
 

Fed's Dudley: "Lessons at the Zero Bound: The Japanese and U.S. Experience"

As president of the NY Fed, William Dudley is a key member of the FOMC. He clearly supports QE ... From NY Fed President William Dudley: Lessons at the Zero Bound: The Japanese and U.S. Experience. A few excerpts: In terms of our asset purchase program, I believe... (read more)
 

Fed's Dudley: "Lessons at the Zero Bound: The Japanese and U.S. Experience"

As president of the NY Fed, William Dudley is a key member of the FOMC. He clearly supports QE ... From NY Fed President William Dudley: Lessons at the Zero Bound: The Japanese and U.S. Experience. A few excerpts: In terms of our asset purchase program, I believe... (read more)
 

70 Helens agree: using Helens in the title is getting old

Will LeBron James and Tim Duncan meet in the 2013 NBA Finals like they did in 2007? Our contest participants were much better at predicting second round outcomes than they were at predicting first round outcomes (andwell have more on that at the end of... (read more)
 

Tornadoes another argument for American exceptionalism

ShutterstockJoplin, Mo. By now youve probably seen the time-lapse of the funnel cloud raging through Moore, Okla., donated to the Red Cross, and thought to yourself, Ohmygod, I am so glad I dont live someplace where there are tornadoes. Or maybe you do live... (read more)
 

Friday Reading: How Many Bank Accounts?

Does Having Multiple Bank Accounts Encourage Overspending? by Matthew Amster-Burton at MintLifeMatthew and his wife have 15 checking and savings accounts, not counting CDs, retirement accounts, or college savings plans. I have 14. That’s after I closed... (read more)
 

Climate Change Means Shallower Great Lakes and More Expensive Goods

160 million tons of goods are carried on the Great Lakes each year, keeping our nations industrial belt supplied with raw materials. Climate change is affecting water levels on the Great Lakes threatening shipping routes and making goods more expensive.The... (read more)
 

The Great Jobs Disaster

C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati GhoshIn the desperate search for evidence that the global recession has bottomed out and the recovery has arrived, the story told by the long-term trend in unemployment levels and rates is being missed.Early this year, the International... (read more)
 

Droning on

BARACK OBAMA'S speech on May 23rd outlining the evolution of Americas approach to counter-terrorism was thoughtful, largely sensible and, for many, a bit late in the day. His wider message was that the ill-named war on terror could neither be perpetual or fought... (read more)