China’s Wen puts social stability at heart of economy (Reuters)
Reuters – Fighting inflation is a priority for China and the government must ward off threats to social stability stemming from rapid price increases and pressure to raise the value of the yuan,...
View ArticleMunicipal bonds: A Balancing act
State and city spending cuts are holding back US growth but may not be enough to stave off defaults that could bring chaos to a big debt market Go to source
View ArticleMunicipal bonds: A balancing act
State and city spending cuts are holding back US growth but may not be enough to stave off defaults that could bring chaos to a big debt market Go to source
View ArticleEconomists list U.S. budget deficit as No. 1 worry (Reuters)
Reuters – The massive U.S. budget deficit is the gravest threat facing the economy, topping high unemployment and the risk of inflation or deflation, according to a survey of forecasters released on...
View ArticleObama, Biden to meet with governors at White House (AP)
AP – President Barack Obama hopes to hear ideas from the states on how to best repair the United States’ slowly recovering economy when he meets Monday with the nation’s governors. Go to source
View ArticleUS will win from Middle East domino effect
Investors will steadily shun other equity markets in favour of dollar-denominated havens after the Fed set the first domino in motion with its $2,000bn QE programme, writes Scott Minerd Go to source
View ArticleMilitary health costs up 300%
The cost of military health care, up 300% in the past decade, is eating a giant hole in the Pentagon’s budget, according to a report released Monday by a group of defense experts. Go to source
View ArticleJanuary consumer spending edges up, incomes surge (Reuters)
Reuters – Consumer spending rose less than expected in January as households took advantage of the largest increase in incomes in more than 1-1/2 years to rebuild their savings, government data showed...
View ArticleFed’s Bullard: economy doing well, oil not a drag (Reuters)
Reuters – A top Federal Reserve official said on Monday the economy should do well in 2011 and that oil prices rising on tensions in the Middle East are not currently a drag on the recovery. Go to source
View ArticleDudley: Don’t blame Fed for recent price hikes
The Federal Reserve is not to blame for the rise in global commodity prices and it should continue its controversial purchases of Treasuries, according to New York Fed President William Dudley. Go to...
View ArticleUS consumers cautious in spite of tax cuts
Federal tax cuts boosted US incomes in January but cautious consumers held back on spending in light of continued economic uncertainty Go to source
View ArticleGovernment shutdown may be averted … for now
Spoiler alert: There’s now a good chance that the federal government will not shut down on Friday night, when the latest stop-gap funding measure expires. Go to source
View ArticleRates rise at weekly Treasury auction (AP)
AP – Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Monday’s auction to the highest levels in three weeks. Go to source
View ArticleJapan’s jobless rate unchanged in January (AP)
AP – Japan’s jobless rate held steady in January but consumer spending fell from a year ago, the government said Tuesday, underscoring the fragility of its economic recovery even as a political battle...
View ArticleMedicaid funding busts state budgets
The Obama administration is giving states more flexibility in implementing the health care reform law, but that won’t help governors plug one of their biggest immediate budget problems: Runaway...
View ArticleBernanke to tread cautiously before Congress (Reuters)
Reuters – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely remain skeptical about the strength of the economic recovery in testimony on Tuesday, despite recent data pointing to improvement, signaling...
View ArticleEgypt delays expected reopening of stock market (AP)
AP – Egyptian officials have again delayed the restart of the country’s stock exchange, a move that brokers said Tuesday would likely only undercut investor confidence in a market many expect to take a...
View ArticleRegulators: Wall Street reform at risk
Congressional Republicans intent on big spending cuts are on a collision course with Wall Street’s top regulators over a plan to slash millions from agency budgets. Go to source
View ArticleUS vows to put ’squeeze’ on embattled Kadhafi (AFP)
AFP – Top US officials kept up pressure Tuesday on embattled Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, vowing to “squeeze him” economically and militarily in hopes of further weakening his tenuous hold on power....
View ArticleGas prices up for 7 days in a row
Fresh off a 27-cent jump last month, gas prices were up slightly in a daily survey by motorist group AAA, as the price of crude oil backed off recent highs. Go to source
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