WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012 ECONOMICS: Fed Officials Weigh Rules-Based Policy That Stay Flexible (Bloomberg Businessweek) By Steve Matthews and Jeff Kearns Federal Reserve officials are struggling to find consensus on a policy rule that’s predictable to investors yet flexible enough to adjust to shifts in the economy or markets. Vice Chairman Janet Yellen and Philadelphia … Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2012
The Invisible War at Home: Prescription Drugs and their Grasp on America
The war against drugs. When most people hear this they think of Reagan’s draconian drug control policies or the deadly battle with Central American cartels. While the fight continues south of the border, a growing problem continues to be ignored by lawmakers and citizens, alike; the abuse of prescription medications. Prescription drug abuse or, … Continue reading
Weak Housing Markets Need a Job-Creating Agenda
A slew of housing data came out today and will continue to pour out this week. The take-away for the day: nothing too terrible to report. Home prices in most markets around the country have either flat-lined or have very modestly improved. No surprises. Though some markets have hit new lows, most indicators point to … Continue reading
Economic Daily Outlook
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 ECONOMICS: OPINION: High Tax Rates Won’t Slow Growth (Wall Street Journal) By Peter Diamond and Emmanuel Saez The share of pre-tax income accruing to the top 1% of earners in the U.S. has more than doubled to about 20% in 2010 from less than 10% in the 1970s. At the same … Continue reading
AHEAD THIS WEEK
Schedule of hearings, events and data releases this week: UPCOMING WEEK Continue reading
Economic Daily Outlook
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012 ECONOMICS: Bernanke Charts New Mission for the Fed: Financial Stability http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/177_77/bernanke-fed-chairman-financial-stability-1048606-1.html While by law the Federal Reserve Board must worry about price stability and unemployment, Chairman Ben Bernanke appears to have charted a third mandate for the central bank: financial stability. In his speeches, lectures and testimony, Bernanke has steadily … Continue reading
Economic Daily Outlook
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 ECONOMICS: House passes 20 percent small biz tax cut http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75362.html House Republicans sent a clear, election-year message that they’re going to make sure taxes are cut — stiff resistance from congressional Democrats and the White House be damned. With a 235-173 vote Thursday, the House passed a 20 percent tax … Continue reading
Economy / Fiscal policy / Politics / Tax
Avoiding the end-of-year “fiscal cliff”
By Will Portman The U.S. needs deficit reduction, but there’s such thing as too much of a good thing — or, in the case of the end-of-year “fiscal cliff” the country is approaching, implementing too much of a good thing much too quickly. In the absence of congressional action, a slew of tax increases and spending … Continue reading
Economic Daily Outlook
THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012 ECONOMICS Budget Fight Heats Up http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303513404577352232858786436.html The White House, firing the latest salvo in this year’s budget battle, threatened to block any new spending bills until House Republicans reverse the spending cuts they approved in recent weeks. The House budget resolution approved in March reduces non-defense discretionary spending for the … Continue reading
Colombia as a Regional Leader?
Since taking office in 2010, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has sought to fill the regional leadership role left vacant by Brazil’s former President Lula da Silva when the latter left his post in the same year. Many analysts believe that the days of US hemispheric hegemony are over. I would go a step further … Continue reading
Policy Interns 
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