Dec 30 Why Republicans should thank Obama for opening up Cuba By George C. Lodge George Cabot Lodge asks why Republicans want to deny the Cuban people the better life that he predicts will come with U.S. investment in their country and deny American business new opportunities. Continue reading
Dec 30 Think you know how oil prices work? By Simone Pathe A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research remodels the relationship between oil prices and production, suggesting that the actual pressure inside the wells dictates the pace of extraction more than price swings. Continue reading
Dec 29 Are more FICA taxes worth it? Social Security as longevity insurance By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security benefits are inflation indexed and continue until you die. There is nothing like them that you can buy on the insurance market, says Larry Kotlikoff. That's why paying more FICA taxes, often by working longer, may pay off… Continue reading
Dec 28 Watch 4:03 Did plunging gas prices boost holiday spending? By PBS News Hour Ever since oil prices started falling, experts have predicted that consumers would use the extra money saved to spend more on holiday gifts. Did that happen? Sara Germano of the Wall Street Journal joins Hari Sreenivasan from Albany with the… Continue watching
Dec 26 Watch 5:59 Why was 2014 a year of mergers and mega deals? By PBS News Hour 2014 has been a banner year for corporate mergers, with more than $3 trillion in deals announced worldwide. What kind of impact do these deals have on the companies, employees and the economy? Hari Sreenivasan learns more from Andrew Ross… Continue watching
Dec 26 Why did some Indonesian women bear more children after the 2004 tsunami? By Simone Pathe Years after the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004, researchers noted a higher than expected fertility rate, particularly among the communities that had experienced the most mortality. They took a closer look to see who was… Continue reading
Dec 25 What are your Christmas gifts worth to you? By Simone Pathe Those gifts you opened this morning -- they're worth less to you than the gift-giver paid for them, no doubt. That's the deadweight loss of Christmas for you. But plenty of economists are saying "bah, humbug" to economic rationality and… Continue reading
Dec 24 Can you go on and off Medicare? By Philip Moeller Is enrolling in Medicare a once-and-for-all decision? Not necessarily, explains Medicare Maven Phil Moeller. A retiree may want to drop Medicare Part B if he or she has the option of being covered under a new spouse's employer group health… Continue reading
Dec 23 Watch 5:07 Can the U.S. economy sustain its surprising momentum in the new year? By PBS News Hour The U.S. economy’s summer surge was even stronger than first estimated, expanding at an annual rate of 5 percent from July to September -- the best performance since the summer of 2003. Judy Woodruff talks to Nariman Behravesh, chief economist… Continue watching
Dec 23 Will Social Security count my big earnings if I lose my job before 66? By Laurence Kotlikoff If you lose your high-paying job before full retirement age, you don't lose Social Security benefits you've already paid for, says expert Larry Kotlikoff. What you might miss out on, though, is an opportunity to raise your lifetime benefits even… Continue reading