Feb 19 How closely should you eye your online shopping cart? By Anna Sillers Although online prices are "stickier" than economists might guess, the proliferation of dynamic pricing means online prices might soon start swinging more often. Continue reading
Feb 19 White House economic report pushes for higher wages to combat stagnation By Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's top economists say that even as the U.S. has managed to kick start a lasting and growing recovery, modest wage gains are far from making up for decades of paycheck stagnation for middle-class workers. Continue reading
Feb 18 Today’s racial wealth gap is wider than in the 1960s By Simone Pathe Average wealth in America has grown over the past 50 years, but not at the same rate for everyone. Wealth gaps, especially between whites and non-whites, are growing. In 2013, the average white family had seven times the wealth of… Continue reading
Feb 18 Look out for Medicare drug plans’ bait-and-switch pricing tactics By Philip Moeller Many Medicare drug plans – both Part D and plans that are part of Medicare Advantage policies – offer very low premiums to get you in the door. But they have ways of shifting the costs back on to Medicare… Continue reading
Feb 17 Watch 6:34 After an election built on promises, what can Greece’s new leadership deliver? By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Feb 17 Watch 2:02 Greek bailout talks falter amid threat of default By PBS News Hour The European Union has demanded that Greece agree to an extension bailout program by Friday or risk losing assistance altogether. The Greek finance minister called the plan absurd, but did not rule out a deal. Without an agreement, the current… Continue watching
Feb 16 The Pleistocene investor who predicted Dow 5K: How does 18K feel? By Terry Burnham Economist Terry Burnham is well know for predicting that the Dow would hit 5,000 before it hit 20,000. Now that the Dow has closed above 18,000, Burnham isn't abandoning his forecast, but he is speaking openly about the physical and… Continue reading
Feb 16 How to get what’s yours from Social Security By Laurence Kotlikoff, Philip Moeller, Paul Solman One day while playing tennis, Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff informed Paul Solman about a strategy for maximizing the benefits that he and his wife were eligible to collect. They decided everyone else should know that secret, too, and are… Continue reading
Feb 15 Watch 3:37 Is the economic impact of the labor disputes at West Coast ports just hype? By PBS News Hour A labor dispute between shipowners and longshoreman on the West Coast has been going on for months now. This weekend, the president dispatched labor secretary Thomas Perez to California to try to resolve it. For more, economist Christopher Thornberg joins… Continue watching
Feb 15 Labor secretary to mediate West Coast port dispute By Associated Press President Barack Obama is sending his labor secretary to California to meet with both sides in a contract dispute that has affected the flow of goods from Asia into West Coast ports. Continue reading