Is It Time for an Inflation Target?
The Fed's dual mandate is to aim for full employment and price stability, but since Paul Volcker's day, it's safe to say the central bank has been more concerned with the latter than the former. But with unemployment at 10%, the Fed's popularity is suffering badly, and there's a real risk that the institution could become (more) politicized -- something that makes academics around the country shudder with fear. READ MORE >>
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CO2 emissions in East Asia are growing faster than GDP. Why have gold prices soared despite low demand? Krugman and Delong on whether Obama should worry about the carry trade. READ MORE >>
Ronald Reagan: Accidental Champion of the Black Underclass
Labor economists generally agree that each extra year of school raises someone's earning by 10-15%. But it turns out that math classes could account for half of those gains. READ MORE >>
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Martin Wolf: Tax windfall bank bonuses. Did the home buyer tax credit weaken the rental market? READ MORE >>
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The growth of dark pools is making stock market volume data less reliable. Regional Fed presidents fearful of losing power and autonomy under Dodd plan. Despite getting paid less, women have the same job satisfaction as men. READ MORE >>
Are Consumers Really Down for the Count?
The worst pullback in consumer spending since the 1970's has apparently come to an end, as the following chart shows: READ MORE >>
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What will happen to Berkshire Hathaway after Warren Buffett dies? The best day to buy a car: Black Friday. Home prices in southern California tick upwards. READ MORE >>
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Meredith Whitney is bearish on banks. Bernanke isn't ready to call asset prices inflated. What's behind the tight correlation in commodity prices? READ MORE >>
Why Short-Selling Bans Are Dumb
Regulators around the world, including our own SEC, succumbed to populist fervor following the Lehman collapse and banned short-selling "to protect the integrity and quality of the securities market and strengthen investor confidence." READ MORE >>
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Sheila Bair: TARP investments were a bad idea. A quick return to normalcy could be a very bad idea for the Fed. On the return of our rising trade deficit. READ MORE >>
