US economy

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In Barren Job Market, to Get a Job, Create One

Recession becomes the mother of invention for would-be businesspeople

(Newser) - New businesses are sprouting up across America as unemployed people running out of time and money decide that the only way to get a job is to create one, the New York Times reports. Economists say now is the time in the downturn cycle when "forced entrepreneurship" starts,...

18% of US Wealth Up in Smoke Last Year

Fed figures show $11 trillion was wiped out Americans' net worth last year

(Newser) - Last year's stock market and housing slumps wiped out nearly a fifth of the wealth of American families, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Federal Reserve announced yesterday that  $11 trillion—more than the output of Britain, Germany and combined—was erased from the net worth of households in 2008,...

Odds of a Depression? 1 in 5
 Odds of a Depression? 1 in 5 
ANALYSIS
Mar 4, 2009 7:15 AM CST

Odds of a Depression? 1 in 5

Economist crunches historic stock-market data to gauge the chances of depression

(Newser) - The bad news is that this recession is likely to be America's worst since WWII—but the good news is there's only a 20% chance it will become a depression, Robert Barro writes in the Wall Street Journal. The Harvard economist crunched numbers from 251 stock-market crashes in 34 countries...

Obama's 'All-In' Budget Presents Huge Risks
Obama's 'All-In' Budget Presents Huge Risks
ANALYSIS
Feb 27, 2009 7:06 AM CST

Obama's 'All-In' Budget Presents Huge Risks

President banks his future on an ambitious economic reinvention

(Newser) - With his first budget, Barack Obama has presented a program of stunning cost and complexity that underlines his ambition to transform the United States, writes Dan Balz in the Washington Post. Its $600-billion-plus health package, taxes on the wealthy that exceed campaign rhetoric, and shocking $1.75 trillion deficit show...

Obama Finds His Inner Roosevelt
 Obama Finds 
 His Inner 
 Roosevelt 
ANALYSIS
Feb 25, 2009 7:23 AM CST

Obama Finds His Inner Roosevelt

President stakes his legacy on ending economic crisis

(Newser) - Barack Obama's address to Congress last night “staked his presidency on bringing the nation out of its economic crisis,” writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post. Not since FDR have citizens been so desperate for economic leadership, and yesterday's speech made clear that Obama plans to reshape American...

Pols Get Failing Grades on Economic Literacy
Pols Get Failing Grades
on Economic Literacy
OPINION
Feb 6, 2009 10:05 AM CST

Pols Get Failing Grades on Economic Literacy

Critics of stimulus spending reveal lack of economic literacy

(Newser) - Given all the "silly" arguments coming out of Washington these days, maybe we should pony up $50 million or so and let congressmen hire "economic trainers," writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post. Those who complain that the stimulus has too much spending just don't get it....

Busted Fatcats Have Everything —Except a Clue

High-fliers fail to realize that national mood has turned against them

(Newser) - The real problem with Tom Daschle is the $5 million he made on the post-Senate gravy train, not his unpaid taxes, Steven Pearlstein writes in the Washington Post. Daschle, John Thain, and their fellow corporate and government high fliers have run afoul of an American public that's "no longer...

Big Biz Slams 'Buy American' Stimulus Clause

Exporters warn of foreign backlash if package erects free-trade barriers

(Newser) - American exporters are fighting to ditch "Buy American" provisions from the economic stimulus package, the Washington Post reports. The House version bars most foreign iron and steel from stimulus projects, while a Senate version calls for only American-made equipment and goods to be used in nearly all projects to...

Bush, Obama Call for 2nd TARP $350B

(Newser) - President Bush and Barack Obama asked Congress today to release the remaining $350 billion in TARP funds to prop up the troubled US financial system. The White House said Bush acted on a request from the president-elect, who takes office next week. Congress may vote on the request as early...

Obama's Cure Not Potent Enough for Economic Ills

Call for bold action on economy followed by plan that falls a long way short

(Newser) - Barack Obama's call for aggressive action on the economy hasn’t been backed up by a plan bold enough to do the job, Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times. Plunging levels of investment and consumer spending will leave a gap of around $2 trillion between what America produces...

Newfound Thrift Battering Economy

Sharp rise in savings rate expected to lengthen recession

(Newser) - Americans worried about the recession are stashing away cash at the highest rate in decades—but economists fear that the thrift will prolong hard times, reports the Wall Street Journal. The national savings rate has rebounded from less than zero to levels expected to hit 5% or higher this year...

Steel Industry Hopes Stimulus Will Forge Recovery

Execs want projects using American steel to be center of economic recovery

(Newser) - Leaders of America's sagging steel industry are hoping their operations will spearhead the economy's recovery with some major help from the US government, the New York Times reports. Steel orders have collapsed since September, causing thousands of layoffs. Execs are pushing hard for the expected stimulus package from the incoming...

Shoppers Go Whole Hog for Piggy Banks

Newly frugal consumers use little pink pals to help save

(Newser) - Piggy banks have been flying off the shelves this holiday season, reports Reuters. Newly frugal consumers see the pigs as symbolic of the need to save, retailers say. The savings rate across America has shot up from zero to 2.8% as worried households start to sock away cash—although...

Bailout Success Will Teach Wrong Lesson
Bailout Success Will Teach Wrong Lesson
OPINION
Jan 1, 2009 5:03 AM CST

Bailout Success Will Teach Wrong Lesson

Rescuing firms from mess they created will send message that bills don't need to be paid

(Newser) - America needs to learn some hard lessons that a $700 billion bailout of the economy isn't going to teach, David Ignatius writes in the Washington Post. If the the country manages to dodge a depression, the message will be that irresponsible behavior brings a rescue, and that bills don't need...

Dumbest Gaffes on the Economy

Instead of predicting financial crisis, they hid it

(Newser) - The men who should have been warning us about the impending financial crisis were a wee bit off the mark at times. MSNBC rounds up some of the dumbest things said:
  • "Subprime market problems seem likely to be contained."—Ben Bernanke, March 28, 2007
  • "The fundamentals
...

Recession? Not for Botox Docs
 Recession? Not for Botox Docs 

Dec 23, 2008 2:14 PM CST

Recession? Not for Botox Docs

For some, it's the cheaper alternative

(Newser) - Botox, apparently the poor man's plastic surgery, has not taken a hit in this recession, according to a recent survey. In fact, some doctors say demand for the pay-as-you-go treatment has increased as patients put off pricier surgeries, the Wall Street Journal reports. A lip plump or wrinkle-smoothing costs a...

South Ensuring Detroit Won't Rise Again

States woo Northern economy with lower wages, 'inhumane standards'

(Newser) - It's no coincidence that Dixie senators derailed the Big Three bailout, since the South—with anti-union laws, low wages, and modest taxes—has built a counter-Detroit that will ensure that neither the Motor City or the South will rise again, Michael Lind writes in Salon. The same tactics were used...

Welfare Rolls Rising for First Time Since '90s

Tide of middle-class jobless could seriously strain program

(Newser) - Welfare numbers are rising in many states for the first time since public assistance was redefined more than a decade ago, the Washington Post reports. The numbers are still small compared to the days before welfare was retooled to steer people into jobs, but at least a dozen states say...

Pets Are Losing Homes, Too
 Pets Are Losing Homes, Too 
Dec 16, 2008 2:29 PM CST

Pets Are Losing Homes, Too

Recession sparks rise in animal abandonment

(Newser) - Animal shelters are being filled with pets abandoned because of the recession and home foreclosures. In Massachusetts, a rescue league has seen a 45% jump in owners citing money or housing problems when they surrender a cat or dog. Others are just leaving their pets on the streets or in...

Bush: Auto Bailout 'Not Ready'
 Bush: Auto Bailout
'Not Ready' 
Dec 15, 2008 3:58 AM CST

Bush: Auto Bailout 'Not Ready'

Deal seems to be grinding gears

(Newser) - The federal auto industry bailout appeared to be stuck in neutral as President Bush warned today that a deal is not imminent. "We're not quite ready to announce that yet," Bush told reporters on a plane to Afghanistan. Lawmakers expected the administration to quickly reallocate part of the...

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