President Obama’s announcement that the Federal Housing Administration will lower the cost of its home loans by one-half of a percentage point (.50 basis points) should be very welcome news. Home loans will now be within reach for many more hard working and responsible families who have been left on the sidelines of the economic … Continue reading »
economic recovery
On Federal Reserve policy: The “taper” and its shadow: Central-Bank policymakers need to better explain what they see as the risks of further Federal Reserve bond purchases
We are live at Project Syndicate. The central banks of the North Atlantic have promised that they will not raise the short-term safe nominal interest rates they control until the economies under their stewardship show substantial economic recovery. So far the economies have not done so: they continue to be battered by the destructive fiscal … Continue reading »
More services means longer recoveries
By Martha L. Olney and Aaron Pacitti Recovery from recessions takes longer than it has in the past. The current crisis aside, this change has not happened because recessions themselves are longer. Nor has it occurred because recessions are deeper than in the past. Instead this change is the result of slower economic growth following … Continue reading »
How to put the shine on Romney’s jobs plan
The scary thing is that in three hours I could write a 1,000-word study with tables and charts projecting that the Romney plan will generate 12 million jobs before 2017. It’s trivially easy to do: Project labor force growth over 2000-2008 forward–thus you have already baked the retirement of the baby boomers into your projections. … Continue reading »
The job stall
The White House must be telling itself there are still five months between now and Election Day, so the jobs picture could brighten. After all, we went through a similar mid-year slump in 2011 but came out fine. But however you look at today’s jobs report, it’s a stunning reminder of how anemic the recovery … Continue reading »
‘Home sweet home’ no more: The ongoing housing crisis and end of an era
Economic cheerleaders on Wall Street and in the White House are taking heart. The U.S. has had three straight months of faster job growth. The number of Americans each week filing new claims for unemployment benefits is down by more than 50,000 since early January. Corporate profits are healthy. The S&P 500 on Friday closed … Continue reading »
President Obama’s real proposal (and why it’s risky)
Paul Ryan says his budget plan will cut $4.4 trillion over ten years. The President says his new plan will cut $4 trillion over twelve years. Let’s get real. Ten or twelve-year budgets are baloney. It’s hard enough to forecast budgets a year or two into the future. Between now and 2022 or 2024 the … Continue reading »