Sep 19 Benefit hikes hike spending — but not for long By Making Sen$e Editor Washington is forever arguing over benefit increases versus tax cuts to stimulate the economy. In a paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, former Obama economic adviser Christina Romer and her husband show that tax cuts deliver a more… Continue reading
Sep 17 Fed announcement drives new record close for Dow Jones By Justin Scuiletti The Dow Jones industrial average closed at a record high today after a Federal Reserve announcement affirming the continuation of a near zero short-term interest rate for a "considerable time."… Continue reading
Sep 17 Is the Federal Reserve printing a free lunch? By Terry Burnham The Federal Reserve is nearing the final drawdown of its quantitative easing program, which, in several ways, has helped reduce the budget deficit. But has that really been such a free lunch, asks economist Terry Burnham?… Continue reading
Aug 28 The real financial monster: low interest rates By Terry Burnham At an economic conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, last week, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the central bank is awaiting more recovery in the labor market before deciding when to raise interest rates. That was bad news for economist… Continue reading
Jul 15 Watch Yellen cautions against being overly optimistic before raising interest rates By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jul 15 Yellen signals Fed will continue to boost economy By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press In delivering an economic report to Congress, Yellen says the Fed's future actions will depend on how the economy performs. She says if labor market conditions continue to improve more quickly than anticipated, the Fed could raise its key short-term… Continue reading
Jul 14 The Dow may be above 17,000, but not for long By Terry Burnham A year after economist Terry Burnham predicted the Dow Jones Industrial Average would hit 5,000 before 20,000, it closed above 17,000 Monday. But Burnham is sticking by his call, introducing a scorecard to track the macroeconomic policies underlying the impending… Continue reading
Jun 18 Fed reduces stimulus despite slower growth projections By Simone Pathe The Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to again reduce its stimulus program by $10 billion to $35 billion in July. Since the financial crisis in 2008, the Federal Reserve has been buying mortgage-backed securities and U.S. Treasuries… Continue reading
Jun 09 Will the European Central Bank’s negative interest rate be an economic positive? By Simone Pathe After the European Central Bank announced the largest ever use of a negative interest rate, Making Sen$e caught up with two central bank watchers for a closer look at how the ECB differs from the Fed and how both central… Continue reading
Jun 02 Obama’s new energy plan: Why not put the fed’s trillions into renewables? By Chris Martenson Chris Martenson would be a lot less worried about this country’s economic future if America invested in the kinds of alternative energy he’s installed around his home in rural New England. Continue reading